UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA 
AT   LOS  ANGELES 


VIEWS 


SOCIETY  AND  MANNERS 

AMERICA; 

IK 

A  SERIES  OF  LETTERS  FROM  THAT  COUNTRY 

TO  A  FRIEND  IN  ENGLAND, 
DURING  THE  YEARS  1818,  1819,  AND  1820. 


BY  AN  ENGLISHWOMAN. 


FROM  THE  FIRST  LONDON  EDITION,  WITH  ADDITIONS  AND  CORRECTIONS 
BT  THE  AUTHOR. 


But  mark  the  judgment  of  experienced  Time, 
Tutor  of  Nations  !  AKENSIDE. 


NEW-YORK : 

PRINTED  FOR  E.  BLISS  AND  E.  WHITE, 
128  Broadway. 

1821 


SOUTHERN  DISTRICT  OF  MEW-YORK,  sis. 

BE  IT  REMEMBERED,  That  on  the  eleventh  «!ay  of  July,  in  the  forty- 
sixth  year  of  the  Independence  of  the  United  States  of  America, 

(L.  S.)  E.  BLISS  AND  E.  WHITE,  of  the  said  District,  have  deposited  in  this 
office  the  title  of  a  book,  the  rig-ht  whereof  they  claim  as  proprietors, 

in  the  words  and  figures  following,  to  wit : 

"  Views  of  society  and  manners  in  America  ;  in  a  series  of  letters  from 
"  that  country  lo  a  friend  in  England,  during  the  years  1818,  1819,  and  1820. 
•'  By  an  Englishwoman.  From  the  first  London  edition,  with  additions  and 
"  corrections  by  the  author.  But  mark  the  judgment  of  experienced  Time, 
"  Tutor  of  Nations !  Akensidc." 

In  conformity  to  the  Act  of  the  Congress  of  the  United  States,  entitled, 
"  An  Act  for  the  encouragement  of  Learning,  by  securing  the  copies  of  Maps, 
Charts,  and  Books,  to  the  authors  and  proprietors  of  such  copies,  during 
the  time  therein  mentioned."  And  also  to  an  Act,  entitled,  <(  An  Act,  sup- 
plementary to  an  Act,  entitled,  an  Act  for  the  encouragement  of  Learning, 
by  securing  the  copies  of  Maps,  Charts,  and  Books,  to  the  authors  and  pro- 
prietors of  such  copies,  during  the  times  therein  mentioned,  and  extending 
the  benefits  thereof  to  the  arts  of  designing,  engraving,  and  etching  histo- 
rical and  other  prints." 

G.  L.  THOMPSON, 
Clerk  of  the  Southern  District  of  JVev-York. 


Printed  by  .1.  Kingslaud  it  Co. 
84  Maiden-lane. 


\ 

V 

<s 


SOCIETY  AND  MANNERS 


IN 

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*  AMERICA. 


409162 


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1 

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ADVERTISEMENT. 


THE  following  letters  form  only  a  part  of  a  more 
extensive  and  desultory  correspondence:  occa- 
sional allusions  will,  therefore,  be  found  to  letters 
that  have  been  suppressed,  as  interesting  only  to 
the  friend  to  whom  they  were  written. 


TO 


CHARLES  WILKES,  ESQ. 


OF  NEW-YORK. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

ALTHOUGH  I  am  uncertain  how  far  the  sentiments 
contained  in  this  little  volume  may  be  in  unison 
with  yours,  I  cannot  resist  that  impulse  of  the 
heart  which  induces  me  to  inscribe  its  pages  to 
you. 

Viewing,  as  I  did,  your  adopted  country  with 
the  eyes  of  a  foreigner,  I  may  have  been  some- 
times hasty,  and,  therefore,  mistaken  in  my  judg- 
ments, v  Though  I  do  not  apprehend  that  my  in- 
accuracies can  extend  to  facts  of  any  importance, 
it  is  possible  that  a  citizen  of  America  may  detect 
slight  errors  which  the  foreign  reader  cannot  be 
aware  of,  and  which  the  author  herself  could 
not  wholly  guard  against,  however  authentic  the 
sources  whence  she  drew  her  information. 

Where,  in  the  following  letters,  I  may  have  ex- 
pressed opinions  at  variance  with  yours,  I  am 


Vlll 


persuaded  that  you  will  view  them  with  candour ; 
and  that,  notwithstanding  the  defects  you  may  find 
in  this  little  work,  you  will  pardon  my  seizing  this 
opportunity  of  openly  expressing  the  high  respect 
I  feel  for  your  character,  and  my  grateful  remem- 
brance of  the  many  proofs  of  friendship  with  which 
you  have  honoured  me. 

Permit  me  to  subscribe  myself, 
My  dear  sir, 

Most  respectfully  and 
Affectionately,  yours, 

THE  AUTHOR. 

tendon,  20th  April,  1821. 


CONTENTS. 


LETTER  I. 

Voyage.  —  Iceberg.  —  Ship's  crew.  —  Bay  of  New-York.  — 
Arrival  in  the  city.  Page  I 

LETTER  II. 

Boarding-house  in  New-York. — General  appearance  of  the 
city  and  its  environs.  1 1 

LETTER  III. 
Manners  of  the  working  classes. — Anecdotes,  &,c.       -         16 

LETTER  IV. 

Appearance  and  manners  of  the  young  women.  —  Style  of 
society. — Reception  of  foreigners. — General  Bernard. — 
Foreign  writers.  —  Mr.  Fearoa.  23 

LETTER  V. 

Visit  to  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  —  Remarks  on  the  Friends.  — 
Laws  and  Institutions  of  William  Penn.  —  Penal  code.  — 
Dr.  Rush.  —  Abolition  of  the  slave-trade.  —  Emancipation  of 
the  slaves  in  the  Northern  States.  —  Condition  of  the  negro 
in  the  Northern  States.  -  35 

LETTER  VI. 

Reference  to  Lieutenant  Hall. —  Advice  to  tourists.  —  Appear- 
ance of  the  city  of  Philadelphia.  —  Style  of  Architecture.  — 
State-house.  —  Remarks  on  the  conduct  of  the  first  American 
Congress.  —  Anecdotes  relating  to  that  period.  —  Peculiari- 
ties in  the  political  character  of  the  people  of  Pennsylva- 
nia.—  Internal  government  of  the  States.  68 

LETTER  VII. 
Society  of  Philadelphia.  —  Anecdote  of  a  Prussian  officer.  — > 


X  CONTENTS. 

Anecdote  of  Mr.  Jefferson.  —  Chevalier  Correa  de  Serra. — 
Mr.  Garnett.  Page  86 

LETTER  VIII. 

Visit  to  Joseph  Buonaparte.  —  General  observations.  —  Ame- 
rican country  gentleman.  99 

LETTER  IX. 

Passage  up  the  River  Hudson. — Account  of  the  Academy  at 
West  Point.  —  Pass  of  the  Highlands.  —  Arnold's  treachery. 
—  Albany  and  its  environs.  108 

LETTER  X. 

Departure  for  the  Falls  of  Niagara.  —  Mode  of  travelling.  — 
Description  of  the  country.  —  Canandaigua.  1 26 

LETTER  XI. 

Genesee.  —  Visit  to  Mr.  Wadsworth.  —  American  farmer.  — 
Settling  of  the  new  territory.  —  Forest  scenery.  -  134 

LETTER  XII. 

Indian  village.  —  Observations  on  the  Indians.  —  Conduct  of 
the  American  government  towards  them.  147 

LETTER  XIII. 

Departure  from  Genesee.  —  Falls  of  the  Genesee  river.  — 
Singular  bridge.  —  American  inns.  —  Opening  of  the  Post 
bag.  —  Journey  to  Levviston.  —  Cataract  of  Niagara.  160 

LETTER  XIV. 

Lake  Erie.  —  Water  scenery  of  America.  —  Massacre  on  the 
River  Raisin.  —  Naval  engagement  on  Lake  Erie.  —  Mr. 
Birkbeck.  -  -  181 

LETTER  XV. 

Upper  Canada.  —  Mr.  Gourlay.  —  Poor  emigrants.  —  Lake 
Ontario.  —  Descent  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  —  Montreal  and 
Lower  Qanada,  -  -  .  196 


CONTENTS.  XI 

LETTER  XVI. 

Lake  Champlain.  — Battle  of  Pittsburgh.  —  Burning  of  the 
Phenix  steamboat.  Page  209 

LETTER  XVII. 

Town  of  Burlington.  —  Character  and  history  of  the  State  of 
Vermont.  '.  220 

LETTER  XVIII. 

Direction  of  American  genius.  —  Founders  of  the  American 
Republics.  —  Establishment  of  the  Federal  government.  228 

LETTER  XIX. 

On  the  Federal  administrations.  —  Mr.  Jefferson.  — Causes  of 
the  last  war.  —  Regulations  of  the  navy  and  merchantmen. — 
Effects  of  these  on  the  sailor's  character.  —  Anecdote.  — 
Defence  of  the  country.  —  How  conducted  by  the  people.  — 
Army  of  the  West.  —  Policy  of  the  New-England  States.  — 
Effect  of  the  war  on  the  national  character.  -  '  243 

LETTER  XX. 

Unanimity  of  sentiment  throughout  the  nation.  —  National 
government.  —  Federal  constitution.  264 

LETTER  XXI. 

Character  and  interests  of  the  different  sections  of  the  confe- 
deracy, and  their  influence  on  the  floor  of  Congress.  — 
New-England.  —  Final  extinction  of  the  Federal  party.  — 
Central  States.  —  New-York  and  Pennsylvania.  —  Southern 
States.  — Policy  and  influence  of  Virginia.  — Western  States. 
—  Manufactures.  —  Powers  of  Congress  respecting  black 
slavery.  —  Formation  and  government  of  Territories.  — 
Generous  policy  of  the  Western  States.  —  Character  of  the 
first  settlers.  —  Shepherds  and  hunters  of  the  Border.  — 
Anecdote  of  Lafitte.  — Various  ties  which  cement  the  union 
of  the  States.  -  276 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

LETTER  XXII. 

Unrestrained  liberty  of  the  press.  —  Elections.  —  Effect  of  po- 
litical writings.  —  Newspapers.  —  Congressional  debates. — 
Deportment  of  the  members  in  Congress.  Page  298 

LETTER  XXIII. 

Education. — New-England. —  Public  Seminaries.  —  Discipline 
of  schools.  —  Condition  of  women.  306 

LETTER  XXIV. 
Religion.  —  Temper  of  the  different  sects.  —  Anecdotes.    318 

LETTER  XXV. 

Account  of  Colonel  Huger.  —  Observations  on  the  climate, 
&c.  325 

LETTER  XXVI. 

Philadelphia  Market.  —  Deportment  of  the  citizens.  —  Mode 
of  guiding  and  breaking  horses.  —  Hints  to  an  emigrant.  — 
Consequences  of  bringing  foreign  servants  to  America.  — 
Character  of  servants  in  America.  — German  redemptioners. 
—  Manner  in  which  the  importation  of  the  peasants  of  the 
European  continent  is  conducted.  — Reply  to  the  Quarterly 
Review.  —  Descent  of  the  Delaware.  —  Letter  of  Count  de 
Survillier  (Joseph  Buonaparte).  —  Rencontre  with  Englis 
travellers.  336 

LETTER  XXVII. 

Baltimore.  —  Yellow  Fever  at  Fell's  Point.  —  Appearance  of 
the  city.  —  Miscellaneous.  352 

LETTER  XXVIII. 

Washington.  —  The  capitol.  —  Hall  of  the  representatives.  — 
Senate  chamber.  —  The  president.  — Virginia  slavery.  — 
Conclusion.  -  -  369 


VIEWS  OF  AMERICA. 


LETTER  I. 

VOYAGE.  — ICEBERG. SHIP'S   CREW.  —  BAY  OF  NEW-YORK. 

ARRIVAL  IN  THE  CITY. 

New- York,  September,  1818. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

THE  report  of  our  safety,  as  well  as  of  the  kind  welcome 
with  which  we  were  greeted  on  landing,  by  several  fami- 
lies in  this  city,  is  now,  I  trust,  far  on  its  way  towards  you. 
I  wrote  too  rapidly,  and  with  a  head  too  giddy,  (you  know 
what  sort  of  a  head  one  brings  out  of  a  ship,)  to  enter  into 
much  detail  upon  the  few  and  dull  events  of  our  voyage. 
We  saw  spouting  whales,  and  sharks,  and  porpoises,  and 
all  sea-monsters,  in  plenty ;  for  the  breezes  were  mild,  and 
the  ocean  and  heaven  so  fair  and  smiling,  as  might  well 
woo  all  the  hideous  tribes  of  Tethys  from  their  dark  ca- 
verns. But  the  only  sight  worth  noticing  was  a  large  ice- 
berg, in  latitude  43,  towards  the  most  southern  extremity 
of  the  Newfoundland  bank.  This,  for  the  month  of  Au- 
gust, was  an  unusual  object  in  such  a  latitude  ;  nor  shall 
I  easily  forget  the  moment  of  singular  excitement  which 
it  occasioned  to  the  captain  of  the  vessel,  myself,  and 
another  passenger.  Light  northeasterly  winds  had  pre- 
vailed throughout  the  day;  so  light,  indeed,  that  the  island 
which  had  first  been  descried  in  the  direct  line  of  our 

3 


'2  VOVAGE. 

course  an  hour  after  noon,  lay  but  some  ten  miles  astern 
of  us  an  hour  after  sunset.  \Ve  were  leaning  over  one 
of  the  hatchways,  in  careless  conversation,  and  the  eyes 
of  the  Captain  were  cast  accidentally  upon  the  iceberg, 
which  now  (the  short  twilight  having  died  away)  appear- 
ed a  black  three-pointed  rock,  upon  the  clear  blue  of  the 
horizon.  A  sudden  exclamation  from  Captain  Staunton 
caused  me  and  my  fellow  passenger  to  start  on  our  feet, 
and  gaze  as  he  directed.  A  bright  flame  blazed  upon  the 
highest  point  of  the  distant  rock.  None  of  us  spoke  ;  we 
all  held  our  breath,  and  each  wrought  out  for  himself,  after 
his  own  manner,  some  tale  of  hideous  suffering.  "A  few 
beings,  or,  it  might  be,  one  solitary  wretch,  had  here  sur- 
vived his  companions,  and  clung  to  this  isle  of  frost,  to 
expire  more  slowly,  under  the  united  horrors  of  cold,  hun- 
ger, and  despair.  A  pile  had  been  collected  from  the 
disjointed  planks  of  the  foundered  vessel,  which  was  now- 
kindled,  when  the  first  shades  of  evening  afforded  a  hope 
that  some  eye  from  the  receding  vessel  would  catch  the 
signal."  All  this  passed  through  our  minds  at  one  glance 
of  thought.  The  Captain  had  turned  quickly  to  give  or- 
ders for  tacking  about  and  lowering  a  boat  that  should 
put  off  to  the  rock,  when  suddenly  a  bright  star  peered 
above  the  crystal,  and  hung  distinct,  and  clear,  over  the 
distant  pinnacle,  which  still,  for  a  while,  quivered  beneath 
its  receding  rays.  It  was  some  minutes  before  we  could 
smile  at  this  sudden  and  simple  explanation  of  an  appear- 
ance which  had,  a  moment  be  fore,  so  highly  wrought  up 
our  interest  and  curiosity. 

It  is  usual  to  complain  much  of  the  discomforts  of  a 
ship,  —  and  I  grant  that  they  are  numerous ;  but  to  those 
who  are  not  disabled  by  sickness  or  nervous  fears,  I  think 
a  voyage  is  not  without  its  pleasures,  and  certainly  not 
without  interest.  Our  fellow  passengers,  mostly  Ameri- 
cans, were  cheerful,  obliging,  and  conversable ;  the  ship 
excellent ;  her  captain  a  weather-beaten  veteran,  a  kind 


VOYAGE,  3 

hearted  as  well  as  experienced  sailor,  who  looked  not 
merely  after  the  safety  of  his  ship,  but  the  comfort  of  every 
living  being  on  board  of  her.  A  moralizer  might  have 
apostrophized  capricious  fortune,  when  he  heard  this  old 
seaman  recount  the  many  times  he  had  ploughed  the 
Atlantic,  and  thank  God  that  he  had  weathered  every 
gale,  without  ever  losing  (to  use  the  sailor's  phrase)  a 
single  spar.  I  have  conversed  with  sailors  not  half  the 
age  of  this  good  captain  of  the  Amity,  who  had  never 
made  a  voyage  ivithout  losing  a  spar,  and  holding  their 
lives  in  jeopardy  into  the  bargain.  But  is  it  not  thus  on 
the  varied  sea  of  life  ?  Some  adventurers  set  forth  in  youth 
and  hope,  and  brave  gales  and  storms,  and  scud  by  rocks 
and  shallows  with  light  and  easy  hearts,  and  moor  at  last 
peacefully  in  the  haven  of  old  age,  wrrinkled  indeed  by 
time,  but  unscathed  by  misfortune ;  while  others,  blown 
about  at  the  mercy  of  the  elements,  their  helm  broken  and 
their  rigging  torn,  run  foul  of  every  quicksand,  and  die  a 
thousand  deaths  ere  they  die  the  last. 

I  observed  much  and  often  upon  the  quietness  as  well  as 
the  matchless  activity  of  the  crew.  No  scolding  on  the  part 
of  the  Captain,  nor  sulky  looks  on  that  of  the  men.  By 
the  former,  authority  was  exercised  with  kindness,  and 
(a  sure  consequence  of  this)  obedience  was,  by  the  latter, 
yielded  with  good  humour  and  alertness.  The  ship,  indeed, 
was  well  named  The  Amity,  for  I  never  heard  a  dispute 
on  board  of  her,  save,  indeed,  one  night,  when  I  was  the 
unwilling  auditor  of  an  argument  in  the  adjoining  cabin, 
which  gradually  waxed  to  a  wrangle,  between  a  young 
Scotchman,  firm  in  the  belief  of  grace  and  predestination, 
an  older  Englishman,  as  firm  in  the  non-belief  of  both 
articles,  and  an  American,  who,  without  agreeing  with 
either,  seemed  to  keep  the  peace  between  both.  In  this 
good  office  he  probably  succeeded,  as,  in  the  middle  of  a 
nicely  drawn  distinction,  on  the  part  of  the  Englishman, 
between  foreknowing  and  foredecreeing,  I  fell  asleep,  and 


4  VOYAGE. 

waked  to  no  other  noise  than  the  creaking  of  timber  and 
lashing  of  the  waves. 

It  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  every  man  of  the  crew,  from 
the  old  veteran  to  the  young  sailor-boy,  could  read  and 
write,  and,  I  believe  I  might  almost  say,  every  man  could 
converse  with  you  upon  the  history  of  his  country,  its  laws, 
its  present  condition,  and  its  future  prospects.  When  our 
ship  lay  sleeping  on  the  waters  in  a  lazy  calm,  I  often 
whiled  away  an  hour  in  conversing  with  one  or  other  of 
these  sons  of  Neptune,  as  he  sat  piecing  a  torn  sail,  or 
mending  a  rope,  and  I  am  sure  that  I  never  came  from 
the  conversation  without  having  gained  some  useful  infor- 
mation, nor  without  having  conceived  a  higher  idea  of  the 
country  to  which  the  man  whom  I  had  conversed  with 
belonged. 

To  one  who  has  only  viewed  the  great  deep  in  contem- 
plative ease  and  security  from  its  shores,  there  is  some- 
thing pleasingly  exciting  in  being  borne  triumphantly  over 
its  bosom,  and  in  witnessing  how  the  wonderful  creature 
man  struggles  with  the  elements,  holding  on  his  adven- 
turous course  for  days  and  weeks  without  doubt  or  fear, 
marking  his  progress  over  the  trackless  waste  with  uner- 
ring certainty,  and  directing  his  eye  yet  more  steadily  to 
the  far-distant  port  than  points  his  guiding  needle  to  the 
pole.  Forgive  me  the  idle  observation,  that  I  never  fully 
appreciated  the  perseverance,  as  well  as  the  adventure,  of 
the  daring  Columbus,  until  I  found  myself  watching  the 
sun  sink  and  rise,  in  and  from  the  eternal  waters,  day  af- 
ter day  and  week  after  week.  How  extraordinary  was 
the  mind  which  could  calculate  with  such  certainty  upon 
the  existence  of  an  unknown  world !  How  daring  the  spi- 
rit which  could  throw  itself  upon  the  mercy  of  a  furious 
and  unexplored  ocean,  hitherto  deemed  impassable  and 
interminable !  How  perfect  the  self-possession  which  re- 
mained unshaken,  not  merely  amid  the  strife  of  the  ele- 
ments, but  the  warring  passions  —  the  alternate  rage,  and 


VOYAGE.  5 

tear,  and  despair  of  the  ignorant  and  superstitious  crew, 
who  stood  a  united  host  against  one  man.  But  what  a 
man !  Alone  supported  by  his  own  powerful  mind  amidst 
the  perils  of  the  deep,  the  horrors  of  a  mutiny,  and  the 
heart-sickness  produced  by  hope  delayed,  when  sun  after 
sun  discovered  the  same  watery  waste  —  the  same  un- 
changing horizon  of  sky  and  sea ;  when  night  after  night 
bred  thoughts,  more  and  yet  more  anxious,  and  danger 
still  more  imminent,  the  apprehension  of  which  it  had 
been  defeat  or  death  to  betray !  How  much  the  human 
race  is  indebted  to  this  great  mind  is  still,  perhaps,  un- 
known. The  world  which  a  hero  discovered,  and  which 
bigots  and  robbers  for  a  season  polluted  with  crimes,  has 
also  been  the  refuge  of  the  poor  and  the  persecuted  of 
every  tongue  and  every  clime ;  and  now  exhibits,  in  its 
northern  section,  a  well  organized  nation,  in  all  the  vi- 
gour and  pride  of  youth  and  freedom ;  in  its  southern,  a 
spirited  people,  awaking  from  ignorance  and  resenting 
oppression,  asserting  their  rights  as  men  and  citizens, 
and  laying  the  foundation  of  commonwealths,  which  the 
next  generation  may  see  established  in  power,  rich  in 
resources,  enlightened  with  knowledge,  and  fenced  by 
the  bulwarks  of  just  laws,  wise  institutions,  and  generous 
patriotisms,  against  the  efforts  of  foreign  enemies,  or  the 
machinations  of  domestic  traitors. 

It  was  not  without  emotion  that,  on  the  evening  of  the 
30th  day  from  that  on  which  we  had  cleared  out  of  the 
Mersey,  we  heard  the  cry  of  "Land,"  and,  straining 
our  eyes  in  the  direction  of  the  setting  sun,  saw  the 
heights  of  Neversink  slowly  rise  from  the  waters,  oppo- 
sing a  black  screen  to  the  crimson  glories  of  the  evening 
sky. 

You  will  but  too  well  remember  the  striking  position 
of  New- York  to  require  that  I  should  describe  it.  The 
magnificent  bay,  whose  broad  and  silver  waters,  sprin- 
kled with  islands,  are  so  finely  closed  by  the  heights  of 


6  BAY  OP  NEW-YORK. 

the  Narrows,  which,  jutting  forward  witli  a  fine  sweep- 
ing bend,  give  a  circolar  form  to  the  immense  basin 
which  receives  the  waters  of  the  Hudson  —  this  magnifi- 
cent bay  is  grand  and  beautiful  as  when  you  admired  it 
some  twenty  years  since ;  only  that  it  is,  perhaps,  more 
thickly  studded  with  silver-winged  vessels,  from  the  light 
sharp-keeled  boat  through  all  the  varieties  of  shape  and 
size,  to  the  proud  three-masted  ship,  setting  and  lowering 
its  sails  to  or  from  the  thousand  ports  of  distant  Europe, 
or  yet  more  distant  Asia. 

Every  thing  in  the  neighbourhood  of  this  city  exhibits 
the  appearance  of  life  and  cheerfulness.  The  purity  of 
the  air,  the  brilliancy  of  the  unspotted  heavens,  the 
crowd  of  moving  vessels,  shooting  in  various  directions, 
up  and  down,  and  across  the  bay  and  the  far-stretching 
Hudson,  and  the  forest  of  masts  crowded  round  the 
quays  and  wharfs  at  the  entrance  of  the  East  River. 
There  is  something  in  all  this,  —  in  the  very  air  you 
breathe,  and  the  fair  and  moving  scene  that  you  rest 
your  eye  upon,  which  exhilarates  the  spirits,  and  makes 
you  in  good  humour  with  life  and  your  fellow  creatures. 
We  approached  these  shores  under  a  fervid  sun ;  but  the 
air,  though  of  a  higher  temperature  than  I  had  ever  be- 
fore experienced,  was  so  entirely  free  of  vapour,  that  I 
thought  it  was  for  the  first  time  in  my  life  that  I  had 
drawn  a  clear  breath.  I  was  no  longer  sensible  of  any 
weakness  of  the  lungs,  nor  have  I  as  yet  been  reminded 
of  this  infirmity. 

Probably  a  great  proportion  of  the  neat  white  houses 
that  every  where  peep  out  from  clumps  of  young  trees 
along  the  picturesque  shores  of  the  surrounding  waters, 
have  started  up  since  you  left  this  country.  As  we  first 
slowly  entered  the  New- York  bay,  with  a  breeze  so 
light  as  just  to  save  a  calm,  it  was  with  pleasure  that  I 
observed  the  number  of  smiling  dwellings  that  studded 
the  shores  of  Staten  and  Long  Islands.  Here  was  seen 


NEW-YORK.  / 

no  great  proprietor,  his  mighty  domains  stretching  in 
silent  and  solitary  grandeur  for  uninterrupted  miles,  but 
thousands  of  little  villas  or  thriving  farms,  bespeaking  the 
residence  of  the  easy  citi/en  or  tiller  of  the  soil.    I  should 
not  omit  another  circumstance  which  I  noticed,  as  evin- 
cing the  easy  condition  of  the  people  of  this  young  coun- 
try.    While  our  ship   slowly  moved  through  the   still 
waters,  pointing  her  course  to  the  city,  which  just  ap- 
peared upon  the  distant  edge  of  the  bright  sheet  of  silver 
which  opened  before  us  as  we  cleared  the  Narrows, 
numberless  little  boats,  well  manned  with  active  rowers, 
darted  from  the  different  shores,  and.  severally  mooring 
along-side  of  our  lazy  vessel,  with  the  cry  of  All  well"}  a 
dialogue  ensued,  commencing  with  friendly  congratula- 
tions, between  the  crews  of  the  boats  and  the  various 
inhabitants  of  the  ship.     On  one  side,  queries  respecting 
the  length  of  the  voyage,  the  weather,  the  winds,  and  the 
latest  news  from  Europe ;  on  the  other,  the  health  of  the 
city,  the  nature  of  the  season,  of  the  harvest,  the  arrival 
and  departure  of  vessels,  and  a  thousand  nameless  trifles 
interesting  to  men  returning  from  a  distance  to  their  na- 
tive shores.     At  the  close  of  the  dialogue,  one  or  other  of 
the  boatmen  would  carelessly  ask  if  any  of  the  passen- 
gers wished  to  be  landed ;  but  the  request  was  always 
made  in  a  manner  which  expressed  a  willingness  to  ren- 
der a  civility  rather  than  a  desire  to  obtain  employment. 
These    boats    had    something   picturesque    as   well   as 
foreign  in  their  appearance.     Built  unusually  long  and 
sharp  in  the  keel,  they  shot  through  the  bright  waters 
with  a  celerity  that  almost  startled  the  eye.      Their 
rowers,  tall,  slender,  but  of  uncommon  nerve  and  agility, 
were  all  cleanly  dressed  in  the  light  clothing  suited  to  a 
warm  climate ;  their  large  white  shirt-collars  unbuttoned 
and  thrown  back  on  their  shoulders,  and  light  hats  of 
straw  or  cane,  with  broad  brims,  shading  their  sun- 
burnt faces.     These  faces  were  uncommonly  intelligent. 


8  NEW-YORK. 

Piercing  gray  eyes,  glancing  from  beneath  even  and  pro- 
jecting brows,  features  generally  regular,  and  complexions 
which,  burnt  to  a  deep  brown,  were  somewhat  strangely 
contrasted  with  the  delicate  whiteness  of  the  clothing.  I 
made  yet  another  observation  upon  these  natives.  They 
all  spoke  good  English,  with  a  good  voice  and  accent ;  I 
had  before  observed  the  same  of  the  crew  of  the  Amity. 

Approaching  the  city  at  sunset,  I  shall  not  soon  forget 
the  impression  which  its  gay  appearance  made  upon  me. 
Passing  slowly  round  its  southern  point,  (formed  by  the 
confluence  of  the  Hudson  with  what  is  called  the  East 
River,  though  it  seems  more  properly  an  arm  of  the  sea,) 
we  admired,  at  our  leisure,  the  striking  panorama  which 
encircled  us.  Immediately  in  our  front,  the  Battery, 
with  its  little  fort  and  its  public  walks,  diversified  with 
trees,  impending  over  the  water,  numberless  well-dressed 
figures  gliding  through  the  foliage,  or  standing  to  admire 
our  nearing  vessel.  In  the  back  ground,  the  neatly- 
painted  houses,  receding  into  distance  5  the  spiry  tops  of 
poplars,  peering  above  the  roofs,  and  marking  the  line  of 
the  streets.  The  city,  gradually  enlarging  from  the  Bat- 
tery, as  from  the  apex  of  a  triangle,  the  eye  followed,  on 
one  side,  the  broad  channel  of  the  Hudson,  and  the  pic- 
turesque coast  of  Jersey,  at  first  sprinkled  with  villages 
and  little  villas,  whose  white  walls  just  glanced  in  the 
distance  through  thick  beds  of  trees,  and  afterwards  ri- 
sing into  abrupt  precipices,  now  crowned  with  wood,  and 
now  jutting  forward  in  bare  walls  of  rock.  To  the  right, 
the  more  winding  waters  of  the  East  River,  bounded  on 
one  side  by  the  wooded  heights  of  Brooklyn  and  the 
varied  shores  of  Long-Island,  and,  on  the  other,  by 
quays  and  warehouses,  scarce  discernible  through  the 
forest  of  masts  that  were  crowded  as  far  as  the  eye  could 
reach.  Behind  us  stretched  the  broad  expanse  of  the 
bay,  whose  islets,  crowned  with  turreted  forts,  their  co- 
lours streaming  from  their  flag-staffs,  seemed  to  slumber 


NEW-YORK.  9 

on  the  still  and  glowing  waters,  in  dark  or  sunny  spots, 
as  they  variously  caught  or  shunned  the  gaze  of  the  sink- 
ing sun.  It  was  a  glorious  scene ;  and  we  almost  caught 
the  enthusiasm  of  our  companions,  who,  as  they  hailed 
their  native  city,  pronounced  it  the  fairest  in  the  world. 

When  our  ship  neared  the  quays,  there  was  some  bus- 
tle, occasioned  by  the  moving  crowd  of  vessels  that  inter- 
vened between  us  and  the  shore,  and  many  active  tars 
sprang  from  the  yards  and  rigging  of  the  surrounding  ships 
to  assist  in  clearing  our  passage.  But  neither  then,  nor 
when  we  finally  touched  the  land,  were  we  boarded  by 
any  needy  supplicants  imploring  work  for  the  love  of  cha- 
rity, or  charity  for  the  love  of  Heaven.  There  was,  how- 
ever, no  lack  of  good  offices  from  the  busy  citizens  on  the 
quay.  One  laid  planks  to  assist  the  passengers  in  their 
descent  from  the  vessel ;  another  lent  a  hand  to  stay  their 
unsteady  feet,  while  some  busied  themselves  in  taking 
charge  of  their  bundles  and  portmanteaus,  and  many 
strange  tongues  and  faces  spoke  and  smiled  a  good  wel- 
come to  the  city.  There  was  in  the  look  and  air  of  these 
men,  though  clad  in  working-jackets,  something  which  told 
that  they  were  rendering  civilities,  not  services ;  and  that 
a  kind  thank  ye  was  all  that  should  be  tendered  in  return. 

Arriving  at  a  boarding-house  which  had  been  recom- 
mended to  us,  we  were  very  kindly  welcomed  by  a  spright- 
ly intelligent  young  woman,  the  sister  of  the  more  staid 
and  elderly  matron  of  the  house.  The  heat  continued 
with  little  abatement  after  sunset,  and  every  window  and 
door  of  the  house  was  open.  While  seated,  refreshing 
ourselves  with  tea  and  fruit,  and  conversing  with  our  live- 
ly hostess,  a  sound,  which  had  filled  our  ears  from  the  first 
moment  that  we  left  behind  us  the  bustle  of  the  wharfs, 
now  completely  fixed  our  attention.  I  remembered  your 
account  of  the  din  of  the  frogs,  and  of  your  consequent  sur- 
prise thereat,  in  ascending  the  Delaware.  But  the  sound 
we  heard  did  not  at  all  answer  to  our  preconceived  no- 

4 


10  NEW-YORK. 

tions  of  a  frog  concert.  Tic-a-te-tic,  tic-a-te-tac,  was  cried 
as  it  were  by  a  thousand  unseen  voices.  At  first  we  half 
suspected  the  sound  had  its  existence  in  our  fancy  —  a 
kind  memorial,  perhaps,  bestowed  at  parting  by  the  giddy 
ship.  Gradually,  however,  I  began  to  esteem  the§e  chat- 
terers breathing  realities,  and,  losing  the  thread  of  our  gay- 
hearted  entertainer's  discourse,  I  found  myself  repeating 
tic-a-te-tic,  tic-a-te-tac.  "  I  suppose  they  must  be  frogs." 
The  word  caught  the  lady's  ear.  "  Frogs  !  Where  ?" 
"  Nay  ;  indeed  I  know  not,  but  somewhere  assuredly." 
"  Not  here,"  said  the  lady.  "  No  !"  said  I.  "  Pray, 
then,  what  is  the  noise  ?"  "  Noise  !  I  hear  none."  If 
my  companion  had  not  here  come  to  my  assistance,  I 
should  have  had  serious  apprehensions  for  the  sanity  of 
my  organs.  Backed,  however,  by  her  support,  I  insisted 
that  there  certainly  was  a  noise,  and  to  my  ears  a  most 
uncommon  one.  Our  good-humoured  hostess  listened 
again,  "  I  hear  nothing,  unless  it  be  the  catty-dids." 
"  The  catty-dids  !  and  who,  or  what  are  they  ?"  You 
will  probably  recognise  them  for  old  acquaintances,  though 
I  do  not  remember  your  mentioning  them  among  the  thou- 
sand-tongued  insects  of  this  land.*  This  whimsical  cry, 
with  the  shorter  note  of  the  little  tree-frog,  the  chirp  of 
crickets,  and  the  whiz  and  boom  of  a  thousand  other  fly- 
ing creatures,  creates,  at  this  season,  to  the  ear  of  a 
stranger,  a  noise  truly  astounding.  We  are  now,  how- 
ever, tolerably  familiarized  to  the  sound,  and  I  doubt  not 
may  soon  be  able  to  say  to  a  wondering  stranger,  like  the 
young  American,  /  hear  nothing. 

*  I  have  since  had  one  of  these  insects  in  my  hand.  In  size  it  is  larger 
than  the  ordinary  grasshopper,  and  in  colour  of  a  much  more  vivid  green- 
It  is  perfectly  harmless,  and  is  altogether  a  most  "  delicate  creature." 


11 


LETTER  II. 

BOARDING -HOUSE    IN   NEW-YORK. GENERAL    APPEARANCE 

OF   THE  CITY  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS. 

New- York,  October,  1818. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

WE  have  removed  from  our  former  residence,  to  a  more 
private  boarding-house  at  the  head  of  Broadway :  a  gay 
street  that  you  will  remember,  though  it  has  now  stretch- 
ed itself  over  twice  the  length  of  earth  that  it  occupied 
when  you  traversed  it.  This  house  has  been  filled  with  a 
rapid  succession  of  inmates  since  we  first  entered  it,  and 
whenever  we  are  not  engaged  abroad,  we  find  a  very 
pleasing  society  at  the  public  table.  The  social  mode  of 
living  here  adopted  in  the  hotels  and  boarding-houses, 
offers  great  advantages  to  foreigners,  who  may  be  desi- 
rous of  mixing  easily  with  the  natives,  and  of  observing 
the  tone  of  the  national  manners.  During  the  few  days 
that  we  have  lived  in  this  house,  we  have  met  with  a 
greater  variety  of  individuals  from  all  parts  of  the  Union, 
than  we  could  have  done  in  as  many  months  by  visiting 
in  half  the  private  houses  of  the  city-  Families  from  the 
Eastern  States,  and  gentlemen  from  the  south  and  west, 
have  successively  appeared,  and  departed,  and  left  with 
us  many  invitations  to  their  various  dwellings  —  so  warm- 
ly uttered,  that  the  heart  could  not  doubt  their  sincerity. 
We  were  peculiarly  struck  by  the  polished  manners  of 
one  or  two  natives  of  Carolina,  and  by  the  independent 
air,  softened  by  republican  simplicity,  of  some  of  the  ad- 
venturous settlers  from  the  infant  west.  We  gleaned 


12  NEW-YORK. 

from  these  intelligent  strangers  many  curious  facts,  tend- 
ing to  illustrate  the  amazing  advance  of  this  country, 
which  imparts  to  it  the  character  of  a  player's  stage, 
where  both  the  actors  and  the  scenery  are  shifted  as  fast 
as  you  can  turn  your  eye.  One  gentleman,  in  the  prime 
of  manhood,  told  me,  that  he  knew  the  vast  tract  which 
now  forms  the  flourishing  state  of  Ohio,  when  it  contain- 
ed no  inhabitant,  save  the  wild  hunter  and  his  prey. 
Making  lately  the  same  journey,  through  which  he  had 
toiled  20  years  ago  through  one  vast,  unbroken  forest,  he 
found  smiling  landscapes,  sprinkled  with  thriving  settle- 
ments, villages  and  even  towns,  and  a  people  living  un- 
der an  organized  government,  and  well  administered 
laws.  "  I  had  heard  of  all  this,"  said  my  informer,  "  and 
knew  that  it  aH  was  so  ;  but  when  I  saw  it  with  my  own 
eyes,  I  felt  as  a  man  might  be  supposed  to  feel,  who  should 
wake  from  a  sleep  of  some  centuries'  duration,  and  find 
the  earth  covered  with  states  and  empires  of  which  he 
had  never  heard  the  name." 

Many  changes  have  taken  place  in  this  city  and 
island  since  you  knew  them.  Streets  upon  streets  have 
been  added  to  the  former,  and  much  draining  and  level- 
ing (of  this  last  I  incline  to  think  too  much)  has  been, 
and  is  still  carrying  on  in,  and  about  it.  The  citizens  of 
Paris  were  wont  to  call  the  narrow  streets  of  their  old  ca- 
pital rues  aristocrates,  and  very  justly,  since  pedestrians 
had  to  make  their  way  through  them  at  the  hazard  of 
their  lives.  In  opposition  to  this,  the  streets  here  might 
with  justice  be  termed  rues  democrates.  Not  content 
with  broad  pavements,  carefully  protected  from  the  en- 
croachment of  wheels  by  a  sill  of  considerable  elevation, 
the  little  inequalities  of  the  ground  are  being  removed  with 
much  trouble  and  expense.  I  have  frequently  admired 
the  ingenuity  with  which  a  new,  or  rather  an  additional 
foundation  is  introduced  beneath  a  brick  house  of  very  to- 
lerable solidity,  so  as  to  preserve  to  it  the  superiority  it 


NEW-YORK.  13 

had  hitherto  asserted  over  the  passing  causeway.  But  I 
have  not  yet  had  the  opportunity  of  observing  a  house 
upon  its  travels.  I  am  told,  however,  that  the  curiosity 
is  still  to  be  seen,  though  probably  very  rarely,  as  the 
now  universal  use  of  brick,  in  almost  all  the  chief  cities 
of  the  States,  as  well  as  the  improved  style  of  architecture 
in  the  wooden  tenements,  still  prevalent  in  the  country, 
must  have  rendered  the  method  of  travelling  in  domo,  and 
shifting  the  neighbourhood,  without  disturbing  the  house- 
hold gods,  considerably  less  feasible.  My  confidence  in 
the  veracity  of  a  friend  has  been  occasionally  put  to  the 
proof,  when  he  has  pointed  out  to  me,  in  the  outskirts  of 
the  city,  a  house  that  had  undergone  a  transportation  of  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  to  arrange  itself  in  the  line  of  the  street, 
and  which  stood  a  very  secure  looking  tenement  of  two 
floors,  with  brick  chimneys,  and  walls  of  very  substantial 
frame  work. 

Notwithstanding  the  pleasant,  opulent,  and  airy  ap- 
pearance of  the  city,  a  European  might  be  led  to  remark, 
that,  if  nature  has  done  every  thing  for  it,  art,  in  the  way 
of  ornament,  has  as  yet  done  little.  Except  the  City- 
Hall,  there  is  not  a  public  building  worth  noticing ;  but  it 
presents  what  is  far  better  —  streets  of  private  dwellings, 
often  elegant,  and  always  comfortable.  Turn  where  you 
will,  successful  industry  seems  to  have  fixed  her  abode. 
No  dark  alleys,  whose  confined  and  noisome  atmosphere 
marks  the  presence  of  a  dense  and  suffering  population ; 
no  hovels,  in  whose  ruined  garrets,  or  dank  and  gloomy 
cellars,  crowd  the  wretched  victims  of  vice  and  disease, 
whom  penury  drives  to  despair,  ere  she  opens  to  them  the 
grave. 

I  shall  not  fatigue  you  with  particular  accounts  of  the 
excursions  we  have  made  into  the  surrounding  country. 
We  surveyed  with  pleasure  the  thriving  farms  of  Long- 
Island,  and  those  of  the  neighbouring  state  of  Jersey. 
The  country  is  every  where  pleasingly  diversified ;  gentle 


14  NEW-YORK. 

hills,  sinking  into  extensive  valleys,  watered  by  clear  ri- 
vers, their  banks  sprinkled  with  neat  white  dwellings, 
usually  low  and  broad  roofed,  shaded  by  projecting  piaz- 
zas, and  very  generally  by  enormous  weeping  willows. 
These  exotics  seem  to  take  wonderfully  to  the  soil  and 
climate,  and  are  much  cultivated,  in  the  more  immediate 
neighbourhood  of  houses,  as  well  on  account  of  their  ra- 
pid growth,  as  from  the  massiveness  of  their  foliage,  and 
from  their  being  the  earliest  trees  to  bud,  and  the  latest  to 
cast  their  leaves.  I  could  not  so  well  approve  of  the 
equally  universal  culture  of  the  Lombardy  poplar,  a  tree 
that  has  no  one  good  quality  to  recommend  it,  for  the  ra- 
pidity of  its  growth  can  hardly  be  accounted  one,  since 
we  can  only  observe  upon  it,  in  the  words  of  the  old  pro- 
verb, that  ill  weeds  gruw  apace.  One  is  the  more  dispo- 
sed to  quarrel  with  this  vile  stranger,  from  the  uncommon 
beauty  of  all  the  native  trees.  Nor  might  the  neglect  of 
the  more  noble  sons  of  the  forest  find  apology  in  the  slug- 
gishness of  their  growth.  In  this  soil  and  climate,  vege- 
tation is  so  powerful,  that  a  very  few  years  may  find  you 
seated  under  the  oak  that  your  hands  have  planted. 

There  are  some  very  lovely,  though  few  very  lordly 
dwellings  scattered  along  the  shores  of  this  island.  You 
will  remember  how  picturesque  these  shores  are  ;  the  one 
washed  by  the  magnificent  waters  of  the  Hudson,  and  the 
other  by  that  arm  of  the  sea  styled  the  East  River,  which 
runs  round  the  head  of  Long  Island.  I  know  not  if  you 
ever  navigated  this  curious  channel.  The  whirlpools  of 
Hell-Gate  are  at  high  water,  with  good  pilotage,  passed  by 
sailing  vessels  without  much  hazard,  and  by  steamboats 
without  any  hazard,  in  almost  all  states  of  the  tide ;  those 
huge  leviathans  pointing  their  way  steadily  through  the 
narrow  channels  which  wind  among  the  whirling  eddies 
that  boil  on  either  hand,  styled  respectively  the  greater 
and  lesser  pots.  During  the  revolutionary  war,  a  large 
British  frigate,  richly  laden  with  specie,  seeking  to  attain 


NEW-YORK.  15 

the  city  unobserved  by  the  American  force,  attempted  this 
intricate  passage  without  the  guidance  of  an  experienced 
pilot;  suddenly  assailed  by  one  of  the  many  powerful 
currents  which  run,  with  irresistible  force,  in  all  directions, 
it  was  sucked  into  the  largest  of  these  caldrons,  and,  in 
all  its  pride  and  gallant  trim,  engulfed  in  a  moment. 

The  summer  residences  of  some  gentlemen  of  the  city 
command  a  fine  prospect  of  these  convulsed  and  resound- 
ing waters,  and  form  pleasing  objects  when  seen  from  the 
channel.  It  is  singular,  in  wandering  through  this  island, 
to  reflect  that  there  is  scarce  a  tree  in  it  older  than  the 
independence  of  the  country.  A  friend  pointed  out  to  me 
some  half  dozen  veterans  that,  by  some  strange  chance, 
had  escaped  the  axe  of  the  British  soldier,  and  now  over- 
look the  land  which  freedom  has  regenerated.*  When 
you  look  on  the  young  thickets,  and  thriving  trees  and 
saplings  not  yet  grown  to  maturity,  which  shade  the  neigh- 
bouring villas,  and  fringe  the  shores,  and  think  that,  young 
as  they  are,  they  are  old  as  the  country  —  old  as  the 
date  of  its  national  existence,  you  find  yourself  strangely 
wondering  at  the  wealth  and  energy  that  surround  you ; 
and,  recalling  the  rapid  strides  which  these  States  have 
made,  in  less  than  half  a  century,  from  unknown  colo- 
nies to  a  vast  and  powerful  empire,  you  cannot  help  in- 
voking the  name  of  Liberty,  under  whose  auspices  all  has 
been  effected. 

*  The  British,  hemmed  in  by  the  Americans  in  their  last  fastness,  the  city 
and  island  of  New- York,  suffered  much  distress  from  want  of  fuel.  They 
had  so  completely  cleared  the  island  from  one  end  to  the  other,  that,  at  the 
time  of  its  evacuation,  there  was  not  a  stick  to  be  found  upon  it,  except  the 
few  trees  mentioned  in  the  text. 


16 


LETTER  III. 

MANNERS  OF  THE  WORKING  CLASSES. ANECDOTES. 

rs'ew-York,  November,  1818. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

You  will  marvel,  perhaps,  that  I  have  not  observed  upon 
the  rudeness  and  incivility  of  what  are  termed  with  us 
the  lower  or  poorer  classes,  but  which  I  know  not  very 
well  how  to  designate  here,  since  there  seem  to  be 
neither  poor  nor  uneducated.  As  yet  my  experience 
would  dispose  me  to  dissent  from  those  travellers  in  the 
United  States  who  complain,  in  our  newspapers  and  jour- 
nals, of  being  elbowed  in  the  streets,  and  scowled  at  in 
the  houses,  and  made  uncomfortable  every  where.  I 
have  not  as  yet  found  even  the  servants,  a  race  of  beings 
peculiarly  quarrelled  with  by  our  grumbletonians,  either 
morose  or  impertinent.  They  do  not,  indeed,  read  your 
wishes  in  your  eyes,  but  I  have  never  found  them  un- 
willing to  answer  them,  and  that  in  an  obliging  manner, 
when  expressed  by  your  tongue.  The  only  exception 
to  this  which  has  as  yet  come,  not  within  my  observa- 
tion, but  to  my  knowledge,  is  the  following:  —  A  young 
British  officer,  in  his  way  to  or  from  Canada,  was  lately 
lodged  in  a  boarding-house,  in  this  city.  The  first  morn- 
ing after  his  arrival,  he  came  from  his  apartment  with  a 
face  considerably  discomfited  and  wrathful ;  and  seeking 
the  lady  of  the  house,  informed  her  that  her  servant  was 
a  very  insolent  fellow.  The  sum  of  the  story  that  could 
be  gleaned  from  the  indignant  gentleman  was,  that,  when 


NEW-YORK.  17 

roused  in  the  morning,  the  servant  had  not  brought  him 
warm  water.  "  I  called  the  fellow,  and  asked  him,  how 
he  thought  I  was  to  shave  myself;  upon  which  he  turned 
on  his  heel,  and  never  afterwards  made  his  appearance." 
The  lady  expressed  much  concern  at  the  intelligence, 
adding  that  she  had  never  found  the  man  insolent,  nor 
received  complaints  of  him  before,  but  that  certainly,  if 
he  had  changed  his  manners,  she  would  part  with  him 
instantly ;  and  thereupon  called  the  delinquent  before 
her.  In  the  presence  of  his  accuser,  she  then  began  the 
lecture  you  may  suppose.  The  man  listened  in  solemn 
silence,  and  to  the  lady's  final  emphatic  inquiry,  "  John, 
why  did  you  not  bring  warm  water  to  the  gentleman  ?" 
replied,  "  Because  I  am  not  accustomed  to  answer  to  the 
name  of  d — nd  rascal ;"  and  then,  with  philosophic  com- 
posure, John  left  the  room.  I  need  not  state,  that  it. 
appeared  upon  inquiry,  that  the  demand  pf  the  military 
gentleman  had  been  prefaced  by  this  sonorous  title,  in 
style  thus,  "  You  d — nd  rascal !  how  do  you  think  I  am 
to  shave  myself  ?" 

A  few  days  after  my  arrival  in  the  city,  I  had  recourse 
to  rather  a  whimsical  mode  of  trying  the  temper  of  the  ci- 
tizens. I  was  bound  alone  and  on  foot  to  the  house  of  a 
friend  in  a  distant  part  of  the  city,  and  I  must  confess  that 
I  was  in  no  difficulty  as  to  the  line  of  my  route.  Meeting 
however  a  man  whom,  from  his  appearance,  I  judged  to 
be  a  mason,  I  accosted  him  with  "  Friend !  can  you  di- 
rect me  to  such  a  street  ?"  He  paused,  and  facing  about, 
patiently  explained  the  advance,  in  the  straight  line  that  I 
was  to  make,  with  all  the  turnings  that  I  was  to  follow' 
afterwards.  "  But  I  guess  you  are  strange  to  the  city.  I 
have  nothing  very  pressing  on  hand,  and  can  see  you  on 
your  way."  With  all  due  acknowledgements,  I  declined 
the  offer  as  unnecessary.  Pursuing  my  walk  a  little  fur- 
ther, I  overtook  a  woman  who  was  about  to  cross  the 
street.  She  hart  the  air,  I  thought,  of  a  servant,  and  the 

5 


18  .NEW-  YORK. 


apparently  well-stocked  basket  of  provisions  that  she  car* 
ried,  seemed  to  say,  that  she  was  returning  from  the  mar- 
ket. I  addressed  her  with  the  same  query  I  had  before 
put  to  the  mason,  and  she,  turning  round,  with  words  and 
signs,  replied  as  he  had  done;  then  checking  herself, 
"But  perhaps  you  are  a  stranger!"  "And  a  foreigner 
too,"  said  I.  "  \Vh}r  then  —  wait  a  moment."  And 
crossing  the  pavement,  and  placing  her  basket  upon  the 
broad  stone  step  leading  into  a  shop,  "  I  will  walk  with 
you  to  the  head  of  the  next  street,  where  I  can  better  point 
your  way."  "  But  the  basket  ?"  said  I,  eyeing  it  over 
my  shoulder,  where  it  stood  on  the  step.  "  What  harm 
should  come  to  it  ?  It  will  stand  there."  "  Will  it  ?"  said 
I  ;  "  'tis  an  honest  city  then."  "  Honest  enough  for  that," 
said  she.  I  suffered  the  good  woman  to  accompany  me 
to  the  spot  she  proposed,  for  I  own  that  I  was  curious  to 
prove  whether  the  basket  would  stand  as  quietly  as  its 
owner  reckoned  upon.  We  proceeded  accordingly,  and, 
reaching  the  angle  of  the  street,  my  kind  informer  repeated 
her  directions,  and  exchanged  with  me  a  "  good  morning." 
I  waited  to  trace  her  back  with  my  eye  through  the  crowd 
of  moving  passengers,  and  soon  saw  her  in  the  distance 
crossing  the  street  with  her  basket  on  her  arm.  You  will 
think  that  I  had  practised  sufficiently  on  the  good  nature 
of  the  public,  but  I  made  yet  another  trial  of  it.  I  stept 
into  a  small  but  decent-looking  shop.  A  man,  the  only 
person  is  it,  was  seated  at  his  ease  behind  the  counter, 
reading  the  newspaper.  To  my  query  of  "  Can  you  di- 
rect me?"  &c.  he  rose,  and  coming  to  the  door,  ran 
through  the  necessary  instructions.  "  But,  stop  !  I  have 
somewhere  a  map  of  the  city."  He  sought  and  found  it, 
and  spreading  it  on  the  counter,  traced  upon  it  my  route. 
1  thanked  him,  and  departed;  and  was  disposed,  from  the 
experiments  of  the  morning,  to  pronounce  the  city  quite 
as  civil  as  any  city  in  England,  and  perhaps  a  little  more 
honest  ;  for,  pondering  upon  the  basket.  1  could  not  but 


NEW-YORK.  1 9 

suspect  that  it  would  scarcely  have  stood  as  quietly  upon 
an  English  pavement,  or,  what  I  judged  was  undoubted,  a 
woman  with  her  five  senses  would  never  have  thought  of 
placing  it  there. 

It  is  truly  interesting  to  listen  to  an  intelligent  Ameri- 
can when  he  speaks  of  the  condition  and  resources  of  his 
country ;  and  this,  not  merely  when  you  find  him  in  the 
more  polished  circles  of  society,  but  when  toiling  for  his 
subsistence  with  the  saw  or  spade  in  his  hand.  I  have 
never  yet  conversed  with  the  man  who  could  not  inform 
you  upon  any  fact  regarding  the  past  history  and  existing 
institutions  of  his  nation,  with  all  the  readiness  and  accu- 
racy with  which  a  schoolboy,  fresh  from  his  studies,  might 
reply  to  your  queries  upon  the  laws  of  Lycurgus  or  the 
twenty-seven  years'  war  of  the  Peloponnesus. 

Putting  some  questions  a  few  days  since  to  a  farmer 
whom  I  met  in  a  steamboat,  I  could  not  help  remarking 
to  him,  when,  in  reply  to  my  questions,  he  had  run  through 
the  geography,  soil,  climate,  &,c.  of  his  vast  country,  just 
as  if  its  map  had  been  stretched  before  him,  with  the  cata- 
logue of  all  its  exports  and  imports,  that  he  seemed  as  in- 
timately acquainted  with  the  produce  and  practicabilities 
of  the  United  States,  as  he  could  be  with  those  of  his  own 
farm. 

The  manner  in  which  an  American  husbandman  or 
mechanic  connects  liimself  with  his  chief  magistrates  and 
legislators,  and  seems  in  his  discourse  to  take  part  in  all 
their  measures,  and  decide  on  their  wisdom  or  error,  is  apt 
at  first  to  make  a  stranger  smile.  He  soon,  however, 
learns  to  smile  at  his  own  ignorance,  which  could  see  any 
presumption  in  a  man's  pronouncing  upon  the  fitness  of 
legislators  whose  character  he  has  studied,  or  in  taking  to 
himself  the  credit  or  discredit  of  their  measures,  when  he 
has  exercised  a  free  voice  in  their  election,  or  in  judging 
of  a  question  which  he  perfectly  understands,  or,  at  least, 
which  he  has  leisurely  considered.  I  have  observed,  that 


20  >E  \V-VORN.. 

it  is  usual  for  an' American,  in  speaking  of  political  mat- 
ters, to  say  our  president  does  so  and  so ;  we  passed,  or 
shall  bring  forward,  such  a  bill  in  Congress  ;  we  took  such 
and  such  measures  with  a  view,  &c.  To  speak  in  short 
from  my  present  confined  observations,  I  should  say  that 
it  were  impossible  for  a  people  to  be  more  completely 
identified  with  their  government,  than  are  the  Americans. 
In  considering  it,  they  seem  to  feel,  it  is  ours;  we  created 
it,  and  we  support  it ;  it  exists  for  our  protection  and  ser- 
vice ;  it  lives  by  the  breath  of  our  mouths,  and,  while  it  an- 
swers the  ends  for  which  we  decreed  it,  so  long  shall  it  stand, 
and  nought  shall  prevail  against  it.  Jf  I  may  trust  the  re- 
port of  all  my  American  friends  and  acquaintances,  con- 
firmed by  my  own  limited  observation,  there  appear  to  be 
few  remains  of  those  party  animosities  which  divided  the 
community  at  the  close  of  the  revolutionary  struggle,  and 
the  effects  of  which  you  found  so  unpleasing  during  your 
short  residence  in  this  country.  It  says  much  for  the  good 
sense  of  the  people,  and  the  wisdom  of  their  institutions, 
that  one  generation  should  have  outlived  all  the  tempest 
of  passion  and  bitterness  of  party,  occasioned  by  the  clash 
of  interests  and  opinions  in  a  great  national  revolution. 

Some  weeks  since,  crossing  the  North  River  in  one  of 
the  fast-sailing  sloops  which  crowd  in  such  multitudes 
upon  these  waters,  I  observed  a  man  at  one  end  of  the 
little  vessel,  who  first  attracted  my  attention  by  his  inte- 
resting appearance.  He  was  well  dressed  in  the  plain 
garb  of  a  working  farmer.  His  silvered  hairs  and  deeply 
lined  countenance  told  that  he  was  approaching  the  last 
resting-place  of  all  human  travellers,  while  his  unbent 
figure  and  mild  aspect  told,  also,  that  he  was  approach- 
ing it  without  anxiety.  Entering  into  conversation  with 
him,  I  learnt  that  he  was  a  Jersey  farmer,  who  remem- 
bered the  Declaration  of  Independence,  and  had  drawn 
a  sword  in  its  support.  He  recollected  the  first  appear- 
ance of  "  Common  Sense,"  and  the  electric  shock  that  it 


NEW-YORK.  2 1 

produced  throughout  the  country.  He  could  recall  the 
various  circumstances  of  the  war,  and  all  the  hopes,  and 
fears,  and  rejoicings  of  the  people.  —  "All,"  to  use  his 
own  words,  "  as  if  it  were  yesterday."  "  I  have  lived," 
he  continued,  "  to  see  my  country  established  in  her 
rights ;  to  see  her  trebled  in  population ;  and  quit  of  par- 
ty jealousies,  and  factions,  and  I  think,"  said  the  old 
man  smiling,  "that  I  have  now  lived  enough."  I  felt 
somewhat  affected  by  his  parting  salutation.  His  dis- 
course had  very  naturally  fixed  my  attention,  which  he, 
perhaps  as  naturally,  had  observed  with  pleasure.  When 
the  boat  touched  the  shore,  "  You  seem,"  he  said,  "  to  be 
a  foreigner ;  I  wish  you  may  soon  become  a  citizen,  for  I 
think  that  you  are  worthy  to  be  a  citizen  of  our  country." 
The  old  patriot  meant  this  for  a  compliment ;  as  such  I 
received  it,  and  as  such,  I  assure  you,  I  felt  it. 

It  was  with  much  interest  that  I  visited,  some  evenings 
since,  the  little  villa  of  which  you  once  were  an  inmate. 
We  turned  down  the  little  lane,  wild  and  rocky  as  when 
you  traversed  it,  and  reached  the  gate  just  as  the  sun 
was  sinking  behind  the  heights  of  the  Jersey  shore.  I 
thought  that  you  had  gazed  on  the  same  object  from  the 
same  spot  —  I  cannot  describe  how  dreary  and  sad — how 
fraught  with  painful  recollections  the  scene  was  to  me : 
and,  had  I  been  alone,  I  could  have  sat  down,  notwith- 
standing the  keen  searching  air  of  a  November  evening, 
and  moralized  with  Jacques  for  good  an  hour  and  a  quar- 
ter. You  know  the  spot ;  but  it  doubtless  lives  in  your 
memory  as  inhabited  by  kind  friends,  and  breathing,  with- 
in and  without,  warmth,  comfort,  beauty,  and  hospitality. 
We  found  it  desolate  and  deserted ;  the  house,  without  a 
tenant,  gradually  falling  into  disrepair ;  the  fences  broken 
down,  the  trees  and  shrubs  all  growing  wild,  while  the 
thick  falling  leaves  that  strewed  the  ground,  and  rustled 
beneath  our  feet — the  season  and  even  the  hour,  all 
wooed  one  on  to  sickly  thoughts,  and  pressed  on  the  heart 


22  KEW-YORK. 

tlie  conviction  of  the  slenderness  of  that  link  which  holds 
us  to  this  changing  world,  to  its  good  or  ill,  its  joys  or  sor- 
rows. 

I  would  finish  this  letter  with  a  more  cheerful  paragraph, 
were  not  the  ship  that  is  to  bear  it  to  you  about  to  sail. 
Autumn  still  lingers  with  us,  or  rather  we  are  at  present 
thrown  back  into  July  by  the  Indian  summer.  Farewell. 


23 


LETTER  IV. 

APPEARANCE  AND  MANNERS  OF  THE  YOUNG  WOMEN. — STYLE 

OF    SOCIETY. RECEPTION    OF   FOREIGNERS. GENERAL 

BERNARD. FOREIGN  WRITERS. MR.  FEARON. 

New- York,  February,  1819. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

JVlv  letters  have  as  yet  chiefly  spoken  of  our  more  inti- 
mate friends ;  and  have  said  little  of  the  general  style  of 
society  in  this  city.  I  feel  that  a  stranger  ought  to  be 
slow  in  pronouncing  an  opinion  upon  these  matters,  and 
indeed  the  rigours  of  the  winter  (though  unusually  mild  this 
year)  have  for  some  time  past  made  me  rather  a  close 
prisoner. 

Though  the  objects  around  me  have  now  lost  the  fresh- 
ness of  novelty,  they  have  by  no  means  lost  that  air  of 
cheerfulness  and  gayety  which  I  noticed  in  my  first  letters. 
The  skies,  though  they  have  exchanged  their  fervours  for 
biting  frosts,  have  not  lost  their  splendours,  nor  are  the 
pavements  trod  by  figures  less  airy,  now  that  they  are 
glittering  with  snows.  Broadway,  the  chosen  resort  of 
the  young  and  the  gay,  in  these  cold  bright  mornings, 
seems  one  moving  crowd  of  painted  butterflies.  I  some- 
times tremble  for  the  pretty  creatures  (and  very  pretty 
they  are)  as  they  flutter  along  through  the  biting  air  in 
dress  more  suited  to  an  Italian  winter  than  to  one  which, 
notwithstanding  the  favourable  season,  approaches  nearer 
to  that  of  Norway.  In  spite  of  this  thoughtlessness,  the 
catch-cold  does  not  seem  to  be  the  same  national  disease 
that  the  Frenchman  found  it  in  England.  This  is  the 


24  NEW-YORK. 

more  remarkable,  as  consumption  is  very  frequent,  and 
may  be  generally  traced  to  some  foolish  frolic,  such  as  re- 
turning from  a  ball  in  an  open  sleigh,  or  walking  upon 
snow  in  thin  slippers. 

I  believe  I  have  before  remarked  upon  the  beauty  of  the 
young  women ;  I  might  almost  say  girls,  for  their  beauty 
is  commonly  on  the  wane  at  five  and  twenty.  Before  that 
age,  their  complexions  are  generally  lovely ;  the  red  and 
white  so  delicately  tempered  on  their  cheeks,  as  if  no  rude 
wind  had  ever  fanned  them ;  their  features  small  and  re- 
gular, as  if  moulded  by  fairy  fingers ;  and  countenances  so 
gay  and  smiling,  as  if  no  anxious  thoughts  had  ever 
clouded  the  young  soul  within.  It  is  a  pity  that  the  en- 
vious sun  should  so  soon  steal  the  rose  and  lily  from  their 
cheeks,  and  perhaps  it  is  also  a  pity  that  the  cares  of  a 
family  should  so  soon  check  the  thoughtless  gayety  of  their 
hearts,  and  teach  them  that  mortal  life  is  no  dream  of 
changing  pleasures,  but  one  of  anxieties  and  cheating 
hopes.  The  advantages  attending  early  marriages  are  so 
substantial,  and  the  country  in  which  they  are  practicable, 
is  in  a  condition  of  such  enviable  prosperity,  whether  we 
regard  its  morals  or  its  happiness,  that  I  almost  blush  to 
notice  the  objections  which,  as  an  idle  observer,  one  might 
find  in  a  circumstance  resulting  from  so  happy  an  order 
of  things.  The  American  youth  of  both  sexes  are,  for  the 
most  part,  married  ere  they  are  two-and-twenty ;  and  in- 
deed it  is  usual  to  see  a  girl  of  eighteen  a  wife  and  a  mo- 
ther. It  might  doubtless,  ere  this,  be  possible,  if  not  to 
fix  them  in  habits  of  study,  at  least  to  store  their  minds 
with  useful  and  general  knowledge,  and  to  fit  them  to  be 
not  merely  the  parents  but  the  judicious  guides  of  their 
children.  Men  have  necessarily,  in  all  countries,  greater 
facilities  than  women  for  the  acquirement  of  knowledge, 
and  particularly  for  its  acquirement  in  that  best  of  all 
schools,  the  world.  I  mean  not  the  world  of  fashion,  but 
the  world  of  varied  society,  where  youth  loses  its  presump- 


NEW-YORK.  25 

tion,  and  prejudice  its  obstinacy,  and  where  self-knowledge 
is  best  acquired,  from  the  mind  being  forced  to  measure 
itself  with  other  minds,  and  thus  to  discover  the  shallow- 
ness  of  its  knowledge,  and  the  groundlessness  of  its  opi- 
nions. In  this  country,  where  every  man  is  called  to  study 
the  national  institutions,  and  to  examine,  not  merely  into 
the  measures  but  the  principles  of  government,  the  very 
laws  become  his  teachers;  and  in  the  exercise  of  his 
rights  and  duties  as  a  citizen,  he  becomes  more  or  less  a 
politician  and  a  philosopher.  His  education,  therefore, 
goes  on  through  life ;  and  thougli  he  should  never  become 
versed  in  abstract  science  or  ornamental  literature,  his 
stock  of  useful  knowledge 'increases  daily,  his  judgment 
is  continually  exercised,  and  his  mind  gradually  fixed  in 
habits  of  observation  and  reflection.  Hitherto  the  educa- 
tion of  women  has  been  but  slightly  attended  to ;  married 
without  knowing  any  thing  of  life  but  its  amusements,  and 
then  quickly  immersed  in  household  affairs  and  the  rearing 
of  children,  they  command  but  few  of  those  opportunities 
by  which  their  husbands  are  daily  improving  in  sound 
sense  and  varied  information.  The  wonderful  advance 
which  this  nation  has  made,  not  only  in  wealth  and 
strength,  but  in  mental  cultivation,  within  the  last  twenty 
years,  may  yet  be  doubly  accelerated  when  the  education 
of  the  women  shall  be  equally  a  national  concern  with 
that  of  the  other  sex;  and  when  they  shall  thus  learn,  not 
merely  to  enjoy,  but  to  appreciate  those  peculiar  blessings 
which  seem  already  to  mark  their  country  for  the  happiest 
in  the  world.  The  number  of  the  schools  and  colleges 
established  throughout  the  Union  for  the  education  of  boys 
is  truly  surprising. 

Your  late  distinguished  friend,  Dr.  Rush  of  Philadel- 
phia, remarks,  in  his  paper,  On  the  Mode  of  Education 
proper  in  a  Republic,  "I  am  sensible  that  our  women 
must  concur  in  all  our  plans  of  education  for  37oung  men, 
or  no  laws  will  ever  render  them  effectual.  To  qualify 

6 


26  NEW-YORK. 

our  women  for  this  purpose,  they  should  not  only  be  in- 
structed in  the  usual  branches  of  female  education,  but 
should  be  taught  the  principles  of  government  and  liberty  : 
and  the  obligations  of  patriotism  should  be  inculcated 
upon  them."  At  present  it  appears  to  me  that  the  Ame- 
rican women  are  as  deficient  upon  some  of  these  heads 
as  the  men  are  practised.  They  love  their  country,  and 
are  proud  of  it  because  it  is  their  country;  their  husbands 
love  and  are  proud  of  it,  because  it  is  free  and  well  go- 
verned. Perhaps  when  the  patriotism  of  both  shall  rest 
on  motives  equally  enlightened,  the  national  character  will 
be  yet  more  marked  than  it  is  at  present.  A  new  race. 
nurtured  under  the  watchful  eye  of  judicious  mothers,  and 
from  them  imbibing,  in  tender  youth,  the  feelings  of  gene- 
rous liberty  and  ardent  patriotism,  may  evince  in  their 
maturity  an  elevation  of  sentiment  which  now  to  prognos- 
ticate of  any  nation  on  the  earth  might  be  accounted  the 
dream  of  an  idle  theorist  or  vain  believer  in  the  perfecti- 
bility of  his  species.  I  ought  to  apologize  for  this  digres- 
sion ;  but  before  I  leave  the  subject  into  which  I  have 
wandered,  I  should  observe,  that  much  attention  is  now 
paid  to  advance  the  education  of  women  to  that  of  the 
men,  and  for  this  end  public  schools  are  rapidly  establish- 
ing in  various  parts  of  the  Union,  on  the  most  liberal  terms. 
The  manners  of  the  women  strike  me  as  peculiarly 
marked  by  sweetness,  artlessness,  and  liveliness :  there  is 
about  them,  at  least  in  my  eyes,  a  certain  untaught  grace 
and  gayety  of  the  heart,  equajly  removed  from  the  studied 
English  coldness  and  indifference,  and  the  no  less  studied 
French  vivacity  and  mannerism.  They  enter  very  early 
into  society ;  far  too  early,  indeed,  to  be  consistent  with  a 
becoming  attention  to  the  cultivation  of  their  minds.  I  am, 
however,  acquainted  with  striking  exceptions  to  this  ge- 
neral practice.  There  are  some  mothers  in  this  city,  who 
anxiously  preside  over  the  education  of  their  daughters, 
and  are  yet  more  desirous  of  storing  their  minds  with  so- 


NEW-YORK.  27 

lid  information,  than  of  decking  them  with  personal  ac- 
complishments. I  hope,  and  am  induced  to  believe,  that 
in  the  next  generation  such  individuals  will  be  no  longer 
conspicuous  among  the  mass  of  their  fellow  citizens.  This 
might  be  too  much  to  hope  in  old,  slow-moving  Europe, 
but  one  generation  here  sees  marvellous  revolutions.  The 
society,  I  mean  by  this,  that  which  is  collected  into  large 
evening  assemblies,  is  almost  exclusively  composed  of  the 
unmarried  young.  A  crowded  room  is  in  this  way  a 
pretty  scene  for  a  quiet  observer  to  look  into  for  half  an 
hour ;  but  if  he  have  survived  the  buoyant  spirits  of  first 
youth,  he  will  then  find  it  better  to  walk  home  again.  I 
ought  not  to  omit  a  remark,  not  merely  upon  the  elegance 
of  the  dress  of  these  young  gay  creatures,  but  what  is  far 
better,  on  its  modesty.  It  may  be  sometimes  more  showy 
and  costly  than  is  wise  or  befitting  in  the  daughters  of  a 
republic,  but  it  never  mocks  at  decency,  as  does  that  of 
our  English  ladies,  who  truly  have  often  put  me  to  the 
blush  for  their  sex  and  their  nation.  The  fashions  here 
are  copied  from  the  French ;  but  I  am  told  by  those  that 
are  knowing  in  such  matters,  that  they  are  not  very 
changeable,  and  that  it  is  judged,  if  not  more  wise,  (for 
this,  I  fear,  seldom  sways  with  youth,)  at  least  more  be- 
coming to  wear  the  waist  and  shoulders  where  nature 
placed  them,  than  to  raise  them  this  month  to  the  ears, 
and  sink  them  the  next  to  the  length  of  our  grandmothers. 
The  dances  too,  (and  these  young  women,  as  far  as  my 
judgment  may  go  with  you  for  any  thing,  dance  with 
much  lightness,  grace,  and  gay-heartedness,)  the  dances 
are  also  French,  chiefly  quadrilles ;  certainly  prettier  to 
look  at  than  the  interminable  country-dance,  whose  ap- 
palling column  seems  to  picture  out  some  vague  image  of 
space  and  time  which  the  imagination  cannot  see  the  end 
of.  The  young  men  do  not,  in  general,  appear  to  me  to 
equal  in  grace  their  fair  companions  ;  nor,  indeed,  in  ge- 
neral ease  of  manner  and  address.  In  accosting  a  stran- 


28  NEW-YORK. 

ger,  they  often  assume  a  solemnity  of  countenance  that  is 
at  first  rather  appalling.     They  seem  to  look  as  if  waiting 
until  you  should  "  open  your  mouth  in  wisdom,"  or  as  if 
gathering  their  strength  to  open  theirs  in  the  same  manner. 
I  have  more  than  once,  upon  such  an  occasion,  hastened 
to  collect  my  startled  wits,  expecting  to  be  posed  and 
shamed  by  some  profound  inquiry  into  the  history  of  the 
past,  or  the  probable  events  of  the  future.    I  could  ill  con- 
vey to  you  the  sudden  relief  I  have  then  experienced  on 
hearing  some  query  upon  the  news  of  the  day,  or  as  to 
my  general  opinion  of  Lord  Byron's  poetry.     It  is  not 
from  the  young  men  in  an  idle  drawing-room  that  a  stran- 
ger should  draw  his  picture  of  an  American.     He  must 
look  at  these  youths  when  stamped  with  manhood,  when 
they  have  been  called  upon  to  exercise  their  rights  as  ci- 
tizens, and  have  not  merely  studied  the  history  and  condi- 
tion of  their  country,  but  are  thoroughly  imbued  with  the 
principles  of  its  government,   and  with  that  philosophy 
which  their  liberal  institutions  are  so  well  calculated  to 
inspire. 

The  youth  of  both  sexes  here  enjoy  a  freedom  of  inter- 
course unknown  in  the  older  and  more  formal  nations  of 
Europe.  They  dance,  sing,  walk,  and  "  run  in  sleighs"  to- 
gether, by  sunshine  and  moonshine,  without  the  occur- 
rence or  even  the  apprehension  of  any  impropriety.  In 
this  bountiful  country,  marriages  are  seldom  dreaded  as 
imprudent,  and  therefore  no  care  is  taken  to  prevent  the 
contracting  of  early  engagements.  It  is  curious  to  see 
how  soon  these  laughing  maidens  are  metamorphosed  into 
fond  wives  and  attentive  mothers ;  and  these  giddy  youths 
into  industrious  citizens  and  thinking  politicians. 

Marriages  are  usually  solemnized  in  the  paternal  man- 
sion of  the  bride,  in  which  the  young  couple  continue  to 
reside  for  six  or  twelve  months.  It  is  seldom  that  the 
young  woman  brings  with  her  any  dowry,  or  that  the  hus- 
band has  much  to  begin  the  world  with  save  a  gay  heart 


NEW-YORK.  29 

and  good  hopes ;  which  even  should  he  fail  in  his  profes- 
sion as  lawyer,  or  physician,  or  merchant,  are  not  extin- 
guished, for  he  has  still  the  wide  field  of  bounteous  nature 
open  before  him,  and  can  set  forth  with  the  wife  of  his  bo- 
som and  the  children  of  his  love,  to  seek  treasures  in  the 
wilderness  ! 

It  is  very  customary  in  this,  and  I  am  told  in  other  ci- 
ties, to  breed  up  young  men  to  the  bar,  not  always  with 
an  idea  of  their  following  the  profession  for  a  livelihood, 
but  because,  if  they  discover  talents  and  ambition,  it  is 
considered  as  the  best  introduction  to  political  life. 

Mr.  Wells,  and  Mr.  Emmett,  whose  history  is  in  his 
name,  are  considered  at  he  head  of  the  New- York  bar. 
|  In  the  mild  manners,  in  the  urbanity  and  benevolence  of 
1  Mr.  Emmett's  character,  one  might  be  at  a  loss  to  con- 
ceive where  oppression  found  its  victim.      Is  it  in  his 
powerful  talents  and  generous  sentiments  that  we  must 
seek  the  explanation  ?  /  There  are  other  well  known 
Irish  names  in  this  city. ' 

Were  it  worth  while  to  vindicate  this  nation  from  a 
charge,  the  absurdity  of  which  I  am  almost  tempted  to 
think  must  be  apparent  to  those  who  have  advanced  it, 
that  there  is  an  illiberal  prejudice  against  the  employment 
of  foreign  talent,  I  could  from  my  own  observation  posi- 
tively attest  the  contrary.  The  well  employed  hours  of 
Mr.  Emmett,  and  his  highly  respected  abilities  and  cha- 
racter, might  alone  set  the  charge  at  defiance.  The  suc- 
cess of  Dr.  M'Neven  as  a  physician,  and  his  situation  as 
Professor  in  the  College,  and  the  eagerness  with  which  his 
society  is  sought  by  travellers  from  all  parts  of  the  Union, 
might  be  quoted  as  another  refutation.  But,  indeed,  it 
were  idle  to  run  through  the  various  instances  in  which  a 
naturalized  citizen  has  risen  to  eminence  in  his  profession, 
and  commanded  consideration  from  the  people  of  his 
adopted  country.  Perhaps  where  this  complaint  has  been 
made  it  has  originated  in  disappointed  vanity.  It  is  true 


30  RECEPTION  OF  FOREIGNERS. 

that  this  people  have  a  provoking  soundness  of  judgment, 
and  rate  men  and  things  according  to  their  net  value. 
They  have  a  straight-forward  common  sense  about  them, 
that  will  set  nothing  down  to  name  or  condition :  they 
weigh  the  man  against  the  trapping  of  his  vanity  ;  and  if 
they  find  him  wanting,  will  leave  him  to  walk  on  his  way. 
I  am  proud  to  rank  among  my  friends  and  acquaintances 
many  individuals  who  generously  ascribe  to  the  liberality 
of  their  adopted  country  the  honourable  success  which 
has  here  followed  the  exercise  of  their  talents.  Many  of 
these  I  have  named  to  you  in  my  earlier  letters,  and  you 
know  how  much  I  am  indebted  to  their  friendship,  and 
how  warmly  I  return  it. 

There  is  yet  another  foreigner  that  I  am  tempted  to  in- 
troduce to  you  —  General  Bernard ;  a  native  of  France, 
and  one  of  the  earliest  and  most  distinguished  scholars  of 
the  Polytechnic  school.  His  manners,  simple,  and  mo- 
dest as  those  of  a  sage,  frank  and  independent  as  those  of 
a  soldier ;  his  principles,  talents,  varied  knowledge,  and 
profound  science,  such  as  do  honour  to  his  school  and  his 
nation.  After  the  battle  of  Waterloo,  (in  which  he  re- 
ceived six  wounds  at  Napoleon's  side,)  and  the  return  of 
Louis,  he  resigned  his  commission,  and  retired  to  private 
life  with  his  family.  The  king  twice  solicited  his  service, 
but  he  replied,  that  having  been  aide-de-camp  to  the  Ex- 
emperor,  and  honoured  with  his  intimacy,  he  could  not 
enter  into  the  service  of  the  reigning  family  without  draw- 
ing upon  himself  the  suspicion  that,  in  conduct  as  well  as 
opinion,  he  was  guided  by  interest.  His  conduct  as  an 
officer,  and  skill  as  an  engineer,  were  so  well  known  and 
acknowledged  throughout  Europe,  that  he  received  invi- 
tations from  two  other  courts,  Bavaria  and  Holland,  both 
of  which  he  successively  declined,  urging  the  same  rea- 
sons that  he  had  pleaded  to  the  French  monarch.  He 
remained  retired  in  his  chateau,  and  would  have  remained 
there  still,  but  for  the  vexation  and  inconvenience  which 


GENERAL  BERNARD.  31 

the  underlings  of  the  court  knew  how  to  bring  to  the  fire- 
sides of  the  suspected  foes  of  legitimacy.     "  If  they  would 
have  let  me  sit  in  my  chimney-corner  sans  me  dire  mot, 
I  should  have  been  content  to  sit  there  still."     "  Fbz'/a, 
mes  amis  ;  vous  etes  les  maitres  ;  c'est  votre  tour.     Eh  bien  / 
jouez,  dansez,  triomphez,  et  laissez  mui  dormir ;  mais  Us  ne 
voulaient  pas."     Even  England  will  occasionally  afford 
us  examples  of  petty  knaves  and  busy  bodies,  who,  to  at- 
tract the  attention  of  those  in  power,  will  inform  them- 
selves of  the  actions,  or,  if  there  be  nothing  tangible  there, 
of  the  opinions  of  their  neighbours,  and  evince  their  own 
zeal  by  denouncing  the  supposed  disaffection  of  others. 
General  Bernard  could  not  submit  to  the  official  visits  of 
the  petty  magistrates  and  cures  of  a  village,  or  to  those  of 
the  under  gentlemen  of  the  police  of  Paris ;  and  though, 
upon   application,  the  high  authorities  disavowed  any 
"  art  or  part"  in  such  vexatious  proceedings,  a  disciple  of 
Carnot,  and  aide-de-camp  of  the  ci-devant  emperor,  was 
too  fair  game  to  receive  the  shield  of  their  protection.  He 
was  teased  and  teased  till  his  patience  became  exhausted, 
when  he  addressed  himself  to  the  government  of  the  Uni- 
ted States,   and  made  a  tender  of  his  services.     They 
were  accepted  with  every  expression  of  respect  and  sa- 
tisfaction, and  he  was  placed  immediately  in  the  corps  of 
engineers,  with  the  same  rank  that  he  held  in  the  army  of 
France.   The  United  States  are  believed  to  have  received 
in  him  an  inestimable  treasure.    Since  the  last  war,  it  has 
been  a  great  object  with  the  Congress  to  fortify  the  Ame- 
rican coasts  and  lines,  to  be  prepared,  in  the  event  of  any 
future  hostilities  with  foreign  powers,  against  such  sur- 
prises as  once  lost  the  infant  capital,  and  threatened  the 
destruction  of  New-Orleans.     General  Bernard  has  re- 
ceived instructions  to  take  a  survey  of  the  country,  and 
draw  up  a  report  of  what  he  shall  consider  requisite  to 
complete  the  plan  of  precautionary  defence,  either  on  the 
coasts,  or  on  the  Canadian,  Indian,  and  Spanish  frontiers. 


32  GENERAL  BERNARD. 

He  has  already  examined  the  southern  lines,  and  pro- 
ceeds this  year  to  the  lakes.  The  cheerfulness  with 
which  this  soldier,  broken  down  as  he  is  by  military  ser- 
vice, undergoes  the  fatigues  of  such  hard  duty,  —  travel- 
ling in  all  ways  and  in  all  climates,  through  all  the  varie- 
ties of  forest,  swamp,  or  savanna  ;  and  the  pleasure  and 
pride  which  he  expresses  in  being  permitted  to  employ  his 
time  and  talents  in  the  service  of  the  republic,  is  truly 
gratifying  to  contemplate.  It  is  not  from  General  Ber- 
nard that  you  will  hear  complaints  of  the  illiberality  of 
this  government,  or  the  inhospitality  of  this  people  ;  nor  is 
it  of  such  foreigners,  as  this  soldier  and  gentleman,  that 
the  Americans  will  express  themselves  with  coldness  or 
disrespect.  I  often  heard  them  name  him  with  admira- 
tion, and  acknowledge  themselves  as  proud  that  their 
country  should  be  the  chosen  abode  of  such  a  character, 
as  he  on  his  part  acknowledges  himself  in  being  devoted 
to  its  service. 

Considering  the  spleen  that  for  the  most  part  besets  men 
in  foreign  countries,  not  merely  his  own  nation,  but  man- 
kind at  large  is  indebted  to  the  individual  who  has  curio- 
sity and  good  humour  enough  to  travel  among  strangers 
with  his  eyes  in  his  head,  and  his  heart  in  his  hand;  but  how 
much  more  highly  are  they  indebted  to  him  who,  to  curiosi- 
ty and  good  humour,  unites  every  gift  of  the  understand- 
ing, possesses  all  the  wide  range  of  knowledge,  and  in- 
spires a  foreign  nation  not  only  with  respect  for  his  own 
high  merits,  but  for  the  country  which  gave  him  birth. — 
Would  a  few  more  such  individuals  as  General  Bernard 
visit  this  republic,  more  would  be  done  towards  setting 
the  seal  of  amity  between  the  two  hemispheres,  than  was 
effected  by  the  treaty  of  Ghent,  or  than  could  be  effected 
by  any  treaty  by  official  authorities.  It  is  governments 
that  make  war,  and  the  same  governments  that  make 
peace ;  but  the  peace  they  make  is  only  a  cessation  of 
hostilities  by  fleets  and  armies ;  they  do  not  make  friends, 


FOREIGN'  WRITERS.  33 

and  I  know  not  how  it  is  that  they  contrive  that  the  people 
under  them  shall  never  make  friends  either.  In  this  coun- 
try, however,  you  will  remember  that  the  government  is 
identified  with  the  people,  —  it  is  their  free  voice  and  their 
efficient  will ;  and  to  offend  the  one  is  to  outrage  the 
other.  In  the  minds  of  no  European  people,  therefore,  can 
the  abuses  of  malignity,  or  the  misrepresentations  of  igno- 
rance, rankle  more  deeply  than  in  those  of  the  Americans. 
They  cannot  say  the  misrepresentations  made  of  our  cha- 
racter and  our  laws  have  been  drawn  upon  us  by  the 
acts  of  a  government  in  which  we  had  no  share  ;  on  the 
contrary,  they  are  ready  to  exclaim,  "  The  vast  Atlantic 
"  separates  us  from  Europe  —  from  its  clashing  interests, 
''  its  strifes,  and  its  ambitions.  In  peace,  we  have  esta- 
"  blished  our  laws  ;  in  the  spirit  of  liberty  and  good  will 
"  to  man,  we  have  framed  our  constitution.  The  arms  of 
"  our  country  have  been  open  to  the  unfortunate  of  every 
"  nation  on  the  earth.  The  stranger  comes  to  us,  and  we 
"  receive  him,  not  as  a  stranger,  but  a  brother.  He  sits 
"  down  among  us  a  fellow  citizen,  and  in  peace  and  se- 
"  curity  gathers  the  fruits  of  his  industry,  professes  his  opi- 
"  nions,  and  leaves  a  free  inheritance  to  his  children." 
If  the  American  thus  speaks,  who  shall  gainsay  him.  If 
he  thus  speaks,  where  is  the  generous  European,  the  fair, 
the  honourable  man  that  will  not  acknowledge  that  he 
speaks  justly,  and  that  will  not  blush,  if  any  of  his  country- 
men have  been  found  among  the  traducers  of  his  nation  ? 

These  observations  have  been  drawn  from  me  by  a 
passage  in  your  last  letter.  Had  you  not  alluded  to  the 
little  volume  that  lately  found  its  way  hither,  neither 
should  I.  The  credit  that  your  letter  and  the  letters  of 
other  trans-Atlantic  friends  lead  me  to  think  that  Mr. 
Fearon  has  found  in  England,  could  alone  have  induced 
me  to  advert  to  him. 

When  a  friend  put  this  little  book  in  my  hand,  and  told 
me  with  a  smile  to  study  his  nation,  I  glanced  at  a  few 

7 

. 


,'H  FOREIGN    WRITERS. 

pages  here  and  there,  and  smiled  too.  "  It  is  to  be  re- 
gretted," said  my  friend,  "  that  our  country  is  visited  by 
so  many  travellers  of  this  description,  and  so  few  of  any 
other  kind.  We  are  a  young  people,  and  therefore  per- 
haps despised  ;  we  are  a  people  fast  growing  in  strength 
and  prosperity,  and  therefore  perhaps  envied.  We  have 
doubtless  errors ;  I  never  yet  saw  the  nation  that  had  them 
not ;  but  it  is  equally  certain  that  we  have  many  virtues. 
An  enemy  will  see  only  the  former ;  the  friend  who  would 
wisely  point  out  both,  '  nothing  extenuating,  nor  setting 
down  aught  in  malice?  would  do  as  kindly  by  us,  as  ho- 
nourably by  himself.  Will  no  such  man  ever  come  from 
your  country  ?"  "  I  often  lament,"  he  again  observed, 
"  that  we  should  be  visited  only  by  the  poor  or  the  busy, 
the  prejudiced  or  the  illiterate  of  the  English  nation. 
Their  reports  are  received  for  lack  of  better,  and  form  the 
texts  from  which  the  European  journalists  draw  their  re- 
ports of  our  character  and  our  institutions. 

"  All  this  were  very  ridiculous,  if  it  were  not  very  mis- 
chievous. Cutting  words  cut  deep  ;  and  I  fear  that  we 
are  human  enough  to  feel  ourselves  gradually  estranged 
from  a  nation  that  was  once  our  own,  and  for  which  we 
so  long  cherished  an  affection,  that  I  am  sure  would  have 
grown  with  our  growth,  and  strengthened  with  our 
strength,  had  not  the  pen  yet  more  than  the  sword  de- 
stroyed it." 

I  have  given  you  my  friend's  observations  rather  more 
in  the  form  of  a  harangue  than  they  were  delivered,  but 
I  saw  no  reason  for  breaking  them  to  introduce  my  own, 
which  were  not  half  so  well  worded,  or  so  much  to  the 
purpose. 


LETTER  V. 

VISIT   TO   THE  CITY  OF  PHILADELPHIA. REMARKS   ON  THE 

FRIENDS. LAWS  AND  INSTITUTIONS   OF  WILLIAM  PENN. 

PENAL  CODE. DR.  RUSH. ABOLITION  OF  THE  SLAVE 

TRADE. EMANCIPATION  OF  THE  SLAVES  IN  THE  NORTH- 
ERN    STATES. CONDITION     OF      THE    NEGRO      IN      THE 

NORTHERN   STATES. 

Philadelphia,  May,  1819. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

THE  rapidity  of  our  motions  since  our  arrival  in  this  city, 
and  the  kind  attentions  of  those  families  to  whom  our 
New- York  and  Jersey  friends  had  supplied  us  with  letters, 
and  of  others  who,  without  the  receipt  of  such  credentials, 
sought  us  in  our  character  of  strangers  and  foreigners,  has 
left  me  little  leisure,  —  not  for  remembering  my  friends  in 
the  old  world,  but  for  affording  them  written  proofs  of  re- 
membrance. 

I  had  been  led  to  expect  that  the  citizens  of  Philadel- 
phia were  less  practised  in  courtesy  to  strangers  than  those 
of  New- York.  Our  experience  does  not  confirm  the  re- 
mark. We  have  only  to  bear  testimony  to  their  civility. 
There  is  at  first  something  cold  and  precise  in  the  general 
air  and  manner  of  the  people,  particularly  so  when  com- 
pared to  the  cheerfulness  and  open-heartedness  of  the 
natives  of  New- York ;  perhaps  too  we  unfairly  contrasted 
them  with  those  of  the  amiable  circle  we  had  left  on  the 
shores  of  the  Rariton  or  at  *  *  *  *  Pennsylvania.  This 
coldness  of  exterior,  however,  wears  off  in  a  great  mea- 
sure upon  furthor  acquaintance,  and,  what  may  still  ro- 


36  THE  FRIENDS. 

main,  you  set  down  to  the  ruling  spirit,  and  philanthropic 
father  of  the  city,  and  respect  it  accordingly. 

Though  we  have  found  some  quietism  in  the  society, 
we  have  found  less  absolute  quakerism  than  we  expected ; 
and  I  own  that  I  at  first  felt  something  like  disappoint- 
ment, when,  on  looking  round  a  room,  1  saw  not  one 
drab-coloured  son  of  Penn  in  it.  It  is  very  true  that  a  man 
is  none  the  better  for  wearing  a  brown  coat,  but  I  haVe  a 
notion  that  he  is  sometimes  the  better  for  being  a  Friend. 
There  is  no  ridicule  that  has  ever  given  more  offence  to 
my  better  feelings,  than  that  which  is  often  so  thought- 
lessly directed  against  the  society  of  the  Friends.  I  ob- 
ject to  the  term  quakers,  a  name  which  they  do  not  ac- 
knowledge themselves,  and  which  was  affixed  to  them  in 
derision  by  those  who  could  perceive  their  peculiarities  of 
phrase  and  demeanour,  but  were  unable  to  appreciate  the 
unpresuming  virtues  which  distinguished  them  yet  more 
from  every  Christian  sect  and  society  of  men  on  the  face 
of  the  earth. 

The  children  of  the  peaceful  and  benignant  William 
Penn  have  not  only  inherited  the  fashion  of  their  patri- 
arch's garments,  but  his  simple  manners,  his  active  plii- 
lanthropy,  his  mild  forbearance,  his  pure  and  persevering 
charity,  thinking  no  evil  and  taking  no  praise. 

The  annals  of  the  human  race  present  us  with  no  name 
more  dear,  at  once  to  humanity  and  to  liberty,  than  that 
of  Penn.  He  united  every  great  and  every  gentle  virtue. 
His  intrepidity  withstood  the  frowns  of  power ;  his  Chris- 
tian philosophy  was  superior  to  the  lures  of  ambition  ;  and 
while  his  fortitude  resisted  persecution,  his  candour  and 
gentle  benevolence  never  sentenced  the  opinions  of  others. 
His  religion  was  without  dogmatism,  his  virtue  without 
austerity ;  he  was  tolerant  among  bigots,  inflexible  before 
tyrants,  patient  with  the  factious,  humane  towards  the 
criminal,  fair  and  just  with  the  savage  as  with  the  civilized 
man.  Proud  indeed  may  the  republic  be  which  had  such 


THE  FRIENDS.  37 

a  man  for  its  founder,  and  whose  history  has  so  generally 
done  honour  to  his  name  ;  and  justly  venerable,  justly  en- 
titled to  the  respect  and  love  of  mankind,  is  the  fraternity 
of  which  that  man  was  a  member,  (one  may  almost  say 
the  founder.)  and  which  has  followed  up  his  deeds  of  mercy 
by  others  not  less  beautiful,  tempering  the  rigours  of  justice 
to  the  offender,  relieving  the  sick  and  the  destitute,  and 
even  the  criminal  in  the  prison-house ;  teaching  virtue  to 
the  profligate,  practising  humanity  to  the  hard-hearted, 
cherishing  the  unconscious  lunatic,  bearing  with  his  im- 
patience, soothing  his  despair,  and  calming  his  frenzy. 

We  may  idly  speculate  indeed  upon  the  silence  and 
quietism  that  might  pervade  this  now  bustling  world,  were 
all  its  varied  tribes  and  sects  resolved  into  one  society  of 
Friends.  The  pulse  of  human  life  might  then,  it  is  true, 
beat  feebly,  and  we  might  all  live  and  die  without  greatly 
sinning  or  suffering,  but  without  exercising  half  those 
energies,  bodily  and  mental,  which  the  conflict  of  human 
passions  now  calls  into  existence.  Whether  this  were 
well  or  ill  for  us,  it  matters  not  to  dream  upon  ;  there  is 
as  little  chance  of  our  all  turning  Friends,  as  of  our  all 
turning  angels ;  but  filled,  as  this  earth  is,  with  noise  and 
contention,  it  is  sweet  to  contemplate  those  sons  and 
daughters  of  peace  walking  unruffled  through  the  "  mad- 
dened crowd,"  their  thoughts  turned  to  mercy  and  un- 
ostentatious charity. 

It  was  with  much  pleasure  that  I  found  upon  inquiry, 
that  many  whose  dress  and  phraseology  are  unmarked  by 
any  peculiarity,  are  yet  attached  to  the  society,  and  are 
proud  to  rank  themselves  among  its  members,  and  to 
trace  back  their  short  line  of  ancestry  to  the  first  peaceful 
settlers  of  the  soil. 

The  society  has  here  very  wisely  relaxed  some  of  its 
rules.  It  is  no  longer  necessary  for  its  members  to  fore- 
go innocent  amusements,  or  any  honest  profession ;  nor 
considered  as  an  important  form  to  use  the  second  person 


409162 


38  THE  FRIENDS. 

singular  rather  than  the  plural,  or  to  prefer  drab-cloth  or 
pearl-coloured  silk.  The  same  regard  to  their  morals  and 
fair  dealings  is  still  preserved  ;  they  must  be  honest  mem- 
bers of  the  community,  and  then  may  wear  what  gar- 
ments they  please.  There  is,  however,  much  indulgence 
practised  towards  the  follies,  and  even  the  errors  of  youth. 
A  wild  young  man  is  privately  reprimanded,  and  much 
time  allowed  him  to  gain  wisdom  and  reclaim  his  habits, 
before  he  is  expelled  the  society.  Expulsion,  therefore, 
is  regarded  as  a  serious  blot  upon  a  man's  character,  even 
by  those  of  other  persuasions,  as  it  is  known  to  be  resort- 
ed to  in  cases  of  obstinate  vice,  or  convicted  fraudulency. 
It  is  no  doubt  wise,  that,  as  the  community  advances  in 
wealth,  and  in  that  refinement  which  follows  wealth,  this 
truly  virtuous  society  should  dispense  with  some  of  its 
less  important  regulations,  which,  in  a  simple  age,  with- 
out being  unsuited  to  the  condition  of  its  members,  tended 
to  confirm  them  in  sober  habits,  and  to  keep  their  thoughts 
estranged  from  ostentatious  display  and  idle  diversions. 
Did  it  not  in  some  degree  shape  itself  to  the  times,  its  sons 
would  gradually  cease  to  shape  themselves  to  it,  and  this 
school  of  genuine  Christian  philosophy  would  be  forsaken, 
as  was  that  of  the  unbending  stoics  when  increasing 
knowledge  rendered  its  rules  irksome  and  even  ridiculous. 
Applauding  the  good  sense  and  liberality  of  this  society,  so 
superior  in  this  to  many  other  religious  associations,  in 
whose  members  a  jealous  attachment  to  the  external 
forms  has  too  often  survived  that  of  the  internal  principles, 
I  cannot  help  observing,  that  not  only  has  it  secured  to  it- 
self permanency  by  this  wise  temper,  but  has  made  a  bet- 
ter stand  against  the  advance  of  luxury  than  it  could  have 
done  by  a  more  obstinate  resistance.  Upon  closer  in- 
spection, you  discover  in  this  moral  and  well-ordered  city, 
a  still  nicer  attention  to  neatness  and  simplicity  of  dress, 
and  quietness  of  demeanour,  in  the  members  of  this  con- 
gregation, than  in  those  of  any  other.  The  young  girls, 


THE  FRIENDS.  39 

indeed,  are  often  in  feathers  and  flowers,  and  this  absolute- 
ly in  the  meeting-house,  but  it  is  not  unusual  to  throw 
them  off,  as  years  kill  vanity  by  killing  beauty  ;  and  even 
in  spite  of  them,  you  somehow  or  other,  by  the  air  of  the 
more  posee  matron  of  the  house,  or  the  more  reserved  ad- 
dress of  the  whole  family,  and  sometimes  by  the  addi- 
tional help  of  portraits  on  the  walls,  in  round-eared  caps 
and  starched  handkerchiefs,  can  distinguish  the  abode  of 
the  children  of  peace  and  good  works  from  those  of  other 
men. 

I  have  no  peculiar  fancy  for  the  fashions  of  our  ances- 
tors ;  absurd  indeed  as  our  own  often  are,  they  are  on  the 
whole  in  better  taste.  I  should  not  wish  to  see  a  whole 
people  in  the  garb  of  the  Friends,  but  I  have  sometimes 
thought,  that  I  should  like  to  sec  the  daughters  of  these 
republics  clad  in  that  simplicity  which  is  so  appropriate  a 
beauty  in  all  that  meets  the  eye  and  the  ear  in  a  young 
democracy.  Let  me,  however,  observe  of  the  young  wo- 
men here,  as  I  before  observed  of  those  of  New- York, 
that,  though  they  may  be  decked  in  the  flaunting  silks  of 
France  and  the  Indies,  their  dress  is  always  arranged  with 
womanly  modesty  ;  the  bosom  never  forgets  its  screen,  nor 
are  the  ankles  and  arms  exposed  to  court  every  idle  gaze, 
and  bring  into  discredit  the  morals  of  the  nation.  You 
will  think  me  perhaps  old-fashioned  before  my  time,  but  I 
cannot  help  judging  in  part  of  national,  as  well  as  of  in- 
dividual character,  by  the  general  fashion  of  the  garments. 
It  is  difficult  to  take  cold  manners  and  haughty  reserve 
as  sureties  for  pure  minds,  but  when  the  dress  is  arranged 
with  decency  and  simplicity,  we  feel  disposed  to  give  wo- 
men credit  for  modesty  and  good  sense.  I  cannot  as  yet 
accord  the  latter  quality  to  the  young  Americans,  but  I 
do  give  them  full  credit  for  native  innocence  of  heart, 
which  prevents  their  gayety  from  ever  overstepping  decen- 
cy ;  and  though  we  should  sometimes  smile  at  their  vani- 
ty, leaves  us  no  room  to  blush  for  their  immodesty. 


40  \VlLLlAi\I  PEK.\. 

It  were  needless  to  recount  to  you  the  many  wise  laws 
and  humane  institutions  for  which  this  country  is  indebted 
to  the  Friends.  Penn  was  one  of  those  rare  spirits  who 
learned  mercy  in  the  courts  of  oppression.  At  a  time 
when  the  Catholic  persecuted  the  Protestant,  or  the  Pro- 
testant the  Catholic,  as  one  or  the  other  party  obtained 
the  ascendant,  —  when  the  reformed  Church,  after  having 
fought  the  battle  for  conscience  sake,  denied  that  conscience 
to  others  for  which  she  had  bled  herself,  and  enforced 
cruel  statutes  against  every  dissenter  from  her  doctrines  or 
her  forms,  the  mild,  but  intrepid  Penn,  not  only  asserted 
his  own  right  to  freedom  of  opinion,  but  claimed  it  also 
for  mankind.  Having  joined  himself  to  an  obscure  and 
persecuted  sect,  who  professed  peace,  and  followed  good 
works  in  a  world  of  strife  and  hard-hearted  bigotry,  he 
confronted,  with  the  energy  of  insulted  virtue  and  out- 
raged freedom,  the  tribunal  of  injustice* ;  having  borne  im- 
prisonments, fines  and  insults,  and  endured  all  that  could 
rouse  indignant  or  revengeful  feelings  in  the  breast  of  man, 
this  benevolent,  and  truly  Christian  philosopher,  devoted 
his  time  and  his  fortune  to  procure  a  haven  of  rest,  not 
merely  for  his  persecuted  brethren,  but  for  the  persecuted 
of  every  sect  and  clime.  A  colony  of  these  unfortunates 
were  planted  by  his  hand  in  the  wilderness  of  the  new- 
world,  and  here  did  he  frame  a  governmentybr  the  support 
of  power,  that  should  be  in  reverence  with  the  people,  and 
to  secure  the  people  from  the  abuse  of  power,  and  declare 

*  The  spirited  address  of  William  Penn  to  a  London  Jury  can  never  be  for- 
gotten by  Englishmen.  Being  brought  to  trial  at  the  Old  Bailey,  for  having 
spoken  in  public  according  to  the  rules  of  his  sect,  the  Jury,  after  listening  to 
his  own  magnanimous  defence,  gave  in  a  verdict  Guilty  only  of  speaking  in 
Grace  Church  Street.  This  was  pronounced  to  be  no  verdict,  and  the  Jury, 
with  threats  from  the  Bench,  were  commanded  to  revise  the  sentence  ;  when 
Penn  cried  aloud  to  them,  Ye  are  Englishmen!  mind  your  privileges !  g'ne. 
not  away  your  right !  The  Jury,  equally  high-minded  with  the  prisoner,  hav- 
ing endured  confinement  during  the  night,  without  food  or  fire,  pronounced  in 
Court  next  morning  a  verdict  of  JVot  Guilty.  Upon  this  they  were  fined  foi  t  \ 
marks  each,  and  commanded  to  prison  with  the  accused. 


WILLIAM  PENN.  41 

that  none  acknowledging  one  God,  and  living  peaceably  in 
society,  should  be  molested  for  his  opinions,  or  compelled  to 
frequent  or  maintain  any  ministry  whatsoever.  This  doc- 
trine of  religious  as  well  as  civil  liberty  was  never  abjured 
by  the  colonists,  and  formed  a  striking  contrast  to  the 
bigotry  of  the  puritans  of  New-England,  and  the  Luther- 
ans of  Virginia.  Penn  had  not,  it  is  true,  the  merit  of  be- 
ing the  first  to  establish  the  right  of  religious  equality. 
This  honour  is  due  to  Leonard  Calvert,  the  Roman  Catho- 
lic who,  in  1634,  near  half  a  century  before  the  establish- 
ment of  Penn's  settlement  on  the  Delaware,  had  pro- 
claimed the  same  principles  in  his  infant  province  of  Ma- 
ryland. But  the  wise  decree  of  this  father  of  Maryland 
was  broken  down  by  the  authority  of  the  mother  country, 
first,  during  the  triumph  of  puritanism  under  Cromwell, 
and  again,  after  that  of  Lutheranism  under  William,  when 
protestant  episcopacy  was  established  by  law  in  a  pro- 
vince whose  principal  inhabitants  were  Catholics.  Thus, 
the  infant  Pennsylvania  stood  conspicuous  among  the  colo- 
nies as  the  haven  of  rest  for  the  persecuted  for  conscience 
sake.  The  Calvinist  could  fly  to  New-England,  the  Lu- 
theran to  Virginia,  but  to  the  woods  of  Pennsylvania,  men 
of  every  sect  could  fly  ;  and,  at  the  time  of  the  revolution, 
this  state  was  one  of  the  few  which,  in  new  modelling 
her  code,  had  not  to  abrogate  former  intolerant  decrees 
against  religious  liberty,  or  to  annihilate  the  privileges  of 
some  pre-eminent  church. 

To  William  Penn  also  humanity  is  indebted  for  the  first 
enactment  of  that  beautiful  penal  code  which  is  now  the 
admiration  of  all  enlightened  political  economists  through- 
out the  w7orld.  In  retaining  the  punishment  of  death  even 
for  the  murderer,  his  mild  spirit  seems  rather  to  have  is- 
sued the  sentence  of  "  blood  for  blood"  in  conformity  to 
the  divine  law,  as  given  in  the  old  testament,  than  from 
the  argued  conviction  of  its  propriety.  The  code  of  this 
humane  legislator  was  cancelled  by  the  authority  of  go- 

8 


12  I'l/.AL   CODK. 

vcrnnieut,  as  were  the  tolerant  enactments  of  the  liberal 
minded  Culvert.  After  the  revolution,  by  the  strenuous 
exertions  of  many  philanthropic  citizens,  among  whom 
were  chiefly  conspicuous  the  venerable  Franklin,  William 
Bradford,  Caleb  Lovvndes,  and  Dr.  Rush,  the  abrogated 
code  of  the  father  of  Pennsylvania  again  superseded  the 
bloody  statutes  of  England.  You  are  doubtless  well  ac- 
quainted with  the  pamphlets  of  Dr.  Rush  upon  this  sub- 
ject. I  remember  to  have  seen  one  in  which  lie  ably 
canvasses  the  justice  and  policy  of  punishing  even  mur- 
der by  death.  He  endeavours,  1  think,  to  explain  away 
the  scriptural  texts,  in  obedience  to  which  Penn  had 
adopted  his  sentence;  how  far  this  may  be  possible,  I 
know  not,  but  it  does  not  appear  important.  The  law  of 
Moses  is  not  the  law  of  Christians,  nor  the  law  of  nations ; 
and  if  we  dispense  with  it  in  other  cases,  we  may  be  al- 
lowed to  do  so  in  this. 

Thus,  in  her  penal  code,  as  before  in  her  religious  liber- 
ty, tlio  republic  of  Pennsylvania  set  an  example  of  human- 
ity and  wisdom  to  her  sister  states ;  nor  were  they  slow 
in  following  it.  This  mild  code  has  now  abolished  the 
punishment  of  death  throughout  the  Union  for  all  crimes, 
the  highest  degree  of  murder  excepted,  (that  is,  where  it 
is  proved  to  have  been  premeditated  and  malignantly  wil- 
ful,) and  also  all  public  and  corporal  punishments,  other- 
wise than  by  imprisonments  and  labour  justly  apportioned 
to  the  habits  and  strength  of  the  prisoner.*  The  wishes 
of  your  honoured  friend.  Dr.  Rush,  and  of  other  philan- 
thropists, have  not  yet  been  carried  into  effect  as  regards 

*  This  code  must  be  understood  as  modified  in  some  of  the  southern  States 
with  regard  to  slaves.  Piracy,  which  comes  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
United  States,  has  hitherto  been  subjected  to  the  punishment  of  death.  A 
law  of  Congress  has  now  remitted  the  sentence  to  confinement  in  the  peni- 
tentiary, except  in  cases  of  peculiar  fls^rancy.  An  overt  act  of  treason,  (for 
which  no  man  has  ever  suffered,)  and  the  being  taken  on  the  high  seas  in  the 
smuggled  traffic  of  slaves,  are  the  other  offences  capitally  penal  by  law  of 
the  United  States. 


PENAL  CODE.  4. '5 

the  abolition  of  the  punishment  of  death  in  this  last  case  of 
malignant  murder.  In  considering  the  atrocity  of  the 
crime,  we  feel  that  no  punishment  can  reach  its  deserts  ; 
hut  even  with  this  view,  it  may  be  questioned  whether 
1  hat  of  death  be  wisely  chosen.  Solitary  imprisonment 
is  proved  by  experience  to  be  a  sentence  more  dreadful 
and  more  dreaded  than  death.  In  the  prisons  of  these 
States,  it  has  subdued  the  most  hardened  profligates,  and 
inflicted  mental  agonies  which  they  would  gladly  have 
exchanged  for  the  transitory  horrors  of  the  scaffold.  It. 
is  not  therefore  in  mercy  to  the  criminal,  but  to  the  com- 
munity, that  the  change  can  be  proposed.  The  chief 
purpose  of  judicial  punishments  is  said  to  be  example.  I 
know  not  how  far  the  legislature  should  be  guided  by  this 
principle  ;  but  is  it  not  undoubted,  that  he  must  be  careful 
that  the  example,  that  is,  the  effect  produced  by  the  sen- 
tence of  the  judge  and  suffering  of  the  offender  on  the 
mind  of  the  spectator,  shall  be  pure  and  decided  ?  must 
he  not  be  watchful  that  no  pity  for  the  criminal  shall  be 
roused  to  weaken  our  horror  of  the  crime? — that  our 
moral  indignation  shall  not  be  turned  aside  by  an  appeal 
to  our  nervous  sensibility  ?  Executions,  where  they  are 
frequent,  have  been  found  to  render  the  mind  callous  to 
ihe  last  moral  sufferings  of  the  offender ;  and  thus  to  leave 
with  it  no  effect  but  what  is  decidedly  vicious.  To  fami- 
liarize the  human  eye  to  blood  is  to  render  savage  the  hu- 
man heart.  An  English  multitude  of  men,  women,  and 
children,  crowd  round  the  scaffold  of  the  murderer  or  the 
thief  with  gaping  curiosity,  as  did  the  French,  during  the 
bloody  tragedies  of  Robespierre,  round  that  of  the  innocent 
citizen,  or  the  intrepid  sage,  eager  only  to  have  their  sym- 
pathy awakened,  or  perhaps  eager  only  to  see  how  the 
hapless  wretch  will  meet  his  fate.  On  the  other  hancl: 
where  executions  are  rare,  they  as  naturally  excite  un- 
mixed horror;  the  atrocity  of  the  crime  and  of  the  crimi- 
nal are  lost  in  this  one  overpowering  sensation  ;  he  whom 


41  PENAL  CODE. 

the  heart  cursed,  and  at  whose  sight  the  blood  ran  cold, 
is  changed  in  a  moment  to  an  object  of  compassion  ;  his 
deeds  of  darkness  are  forgotten  when  his  life's  blood  is 
poured  at  our  feet ;  —  the  murderer  in  our  eyes  is  no  longer 
the  lifeless  wretch,  it  is  the  hired  executioner.  Can  the 
law  be  wise  which  thus  trifles  with  our  moral  feelings  ? 
and  that  it  does  so,  we  need  not  look  tb  the  speculations 
of  philanthropists.  I  have  the  testimony  of  many  citizens 
of  these  republics  for  asserting,  that  when  executions, 
rare  and  far  bet\veen,  as  they  are  in  this  happy  country, 
occur,  they  have  no  other  effect  than  to  excite  amazement 
and  horror  at  the  suffering,  and  commiseration  for  the 
sufferer.  Nay,  so  much  is  this  the  case,  that  the  execu- 
tion of  a  pirate,  convicted  of  the  most  atrocious  crimes, 
has,  upon  one  or  two  occasions,  assumed  the  appearance 
of  a  martyrdom ;  multitudes  crowding  to  gaze  upon  him, 
as  led  from  the  prison,  with  all  the  respect  that  the-  citi- 
zens of  Rome  might  have  seen  a  victorious  general  enter 
their  gates  under  the  honours  of  an  ovation.  The  crimi- 
nal himself  has  caught  the  enthusiasm  of  the  hour,  and 
ascended  the  scaffold  with  the  majesty  of  Kemble  in 
Coriolanus,  seeking  the  hearth  of  his  enemy ;  the  scene 
closing  with  a  funeral  procession,  and  all  the  solemnities 
of  Christian  interment.  A  judicial  execution,  thus  trans- 
formed into  a  heroic  tragedy,  is  sometimes  like  a  farce ; 
but  can  it  be  otherwise  in  a  country  where  the  human  eye 
is  unused  to  the  sight  of  human  suffering  ?  The  fault  is 
not  in  the  people,  but  in  the  law  —  I  correct  myself;  the 
law  being  here  made  by  the  people,  the  fault  is  with  them. 
It  is  time  it  should  be  corrected. 

I  must  observe,  that  it  does  not  seem  to  be  the  terror  ol 
example  that  is  here  sought  by  the  infliction  of  this  worst 
sentence  of  law ;  and  I  am  led  to  believe,  that  it  is  per- 
mitted to  remain  on  the  statute-book  from  the  persuasion, 
that  justice,  considered  in  the  abstract,  demands,  for  thr 
highest  degree  of  malignant  murder,  "  blood  for  blood." 


SLAVE-TRADE.  45 

But  this  principle  of  retribution  cannot  however  demand, 
that  an  injurious  effect  should  be  produced  on  the  feelings 
of  the  community ;  nor  can  it  require  that,  to  any  human 
being,  should  be  delegated  the  office  of  executioner,  —  an 
office  which  no  human  being  should  ever  be  called  upon, 
which  no  man  should  ever  be  allowed,  to  exercise.  Rarely, 
indeed,  is  this  officer  of  death  in  requisition  in  these  bene- 
volent republics  ;  the  importance  of  human  life  is  here  ac- 
knowledged ;  the  dignity  of  man  felt  and  understood.  Law 
may  not  lightly  molest  him,  nor  justice,  except  for  the  last 
outrage,  attach  his  life.  It  is  not  for  the  sake  of  the  crimi- 
nal, but  of  the  community,  that  I  mingle  my  wishes  with 
those  of  the  American  philanthropists  who  would  blot 
from  their  code  the  penalty  of  death. 

To  the  society  of  Friends  also  is  humanity  indebted  for 
a  continued  opposition  to  the  odious  traffic  in  the  African 
race ;  for  unwearying  efforts  to  effect  its  abolition,  which 
no  clamour,  no  ridicule,  no  heart-sickening  delays  and 
disappointments  could  relax,  until  they  were  crowned  with 
success.  It  is  pleasing  to  see  these  simple  and  unpre- 
suming  friends  of  man  raising  their  voice  in  either  hemi- 
sphere against  the  most  atrocious  of  all  the  sins  that  de- 
face the  annals  of  modern  history.  All  the  American  co- 
lonies may  lay  claim  to  the  honour,  not  merely  of  having 
yielded,  with  marked  unwillingness  and  tardiness,  to  the 
example  of  Europeans  who  sought  the  coasts  of  wretch- 
ed Africa  for  human  objects  of  barter,  but  to  the  con- 
straining edicts  of  the  mother  country,  which  made  the 
new  hemisphere  the  mart  for  the  wretched  victims  of  her 
avarice.  The  early  laws  of  the  New-England  colonists 
upon  this  subject,  reflect  a  glory  upon  those  infant  people 
of  which  their  descendants  may  well  be  proud.  The 
struggle  of  their  intrepid  Houses  of  Assembly  against  the 
supreme  authority  of  England,  to  prevent,  in  the  very  in- 
fancy of  this  odious  traffic,  the  importation  of  slaves  into 
'heir  provinces,  appears  with  no  less  honour  in  their  annals, 


46  SLAVE-TRADE. 

than  does  their  subsequent  struggle  for  national  indepen- 
dence. 

In  Pennsylvania,  the  society  of  Friends  were  united  in 
opposition  to  the  African  trade  from  their  first  settlement 
in  the  province  •,  and,  had  they  constituted  the  majority 
of  the  population,  (which  their  own  liberal  institutions 
tended  to  prevent,)  it  is  probable  that  the  European  tra- 
ders would  have  found  the  implanting  black  slavery  on 
the  banks  of  the  Delaware  impracticable.  It  must  be  re- 
membered, however,  that  the  will  of  the  mother  country 
was  upon  this  matter  imperative  ;  and  that  a  positive  pro- 
hibitory statute,  on  the  part  of  Pennsylvania,  would  have 
been  treated  in  like  manner  with  those  of  Massachusetts. 
Her  restrictive  regulations,  however,  were  numerous ;  nor 
could  the  eager  cupidity  of  the  foreign  traders  ever  create 
a  certain  market  for  the  enslaved  Africans  to  the  North  of 
Maryland.  It  is  a  striking  fact,  and  one  greatly  in  favour 
of  religious  as  well  as  civil  liberty,  (if  in  this  age  of  the 
world  either  needed  the  support  of  argument.)  that  in 
those  provinces  where  the  home  authority  was  insufficient 
to  establish  one  privileged  church,  this  traffic  was  held  in 
odium  from  its  very  commencement.  Religion,  there  in- 
grafted in  the  heart,  instantly  bred  scruples  as  to  its  legal- 
ity, humanity,  and  policy,  while  in  the  distant  European 
empires,  living  under  proud  hierarchies,  and  in  the  neigh- 
bouring colonies  in  which  the  Church  of  England  had 
been  by  law  established,  the  human  mind  was  more  slow 
to  acknowledge  the  crime.  It  is  not  to  be  doubted,  that  the 
difference  of  climate,  between  the  southern  and  northern 
provinces  of  British  America,  contributed  yet  more  than 
the  differing  standard  of  conscientious  scruple  among  the 
colonists,  to  produce  a  more  marked  reluctance  to  the 
trade  in  the  one  than  the  other  -,  yet  we  cannot  peruse  the 
colonial  histories  of  these  states  without  counting  for  some- 
thing the  varying  influence  of  religion  in  those  districts 
where  its  principles  were  ingrafted  in  willing  minds,  and 


SLAVE-TRADE.  47 

those  where  its  forms  were  established  by  compulsory 
edicts. 

The  low  and  marshy  lands  stretching  along  the  coasts 
and  great  rivers  of  the  south,  tainting  the  warm  atmo- 
sphere, and  generating  diseases  fatal  to  a  white  popula- 
tion, held  out  too  alluring  a  temptation  for  the  employ- 
ment of  the  African,  to  whose  constitution  the  climate 
was  less  fatal,  for  the  offers  of  the  trader  to  be  resisted  by 
the  young  settlers;*  but  let  it  not  be  forgotten,  that  the 
slave-holding  Virginia,  while  yet  a  colony,  revolted  at  the 
crime  to  which  she  had  been  allured.  Her  energetic  ap- 
peal to  the  throne,  to  release  her  from  the  inundation  of 
domestic  slavery,  which  was  forced  upon  her,  is  grateful 
to  the  human  heart  to  read  ;  and  the  deaf  ear  which  was 
turned  to  her  prayer  is  what  the  friends  of  that  throne  will 
not  wish  to  remember.  The  history  of  African  slavery 
is  at  once  the  disgrace  and  honour  of  America ;  the  dis- 
grace she  shares  in  common  with  the  whole  civilized 
world  —  the  honour  is  all  her  own.  Surrounded  by  every 
temptation  which  could  seduce  her  to  the  crime,  at  first 
courted  and  then  awed  into  compliance,  she  openly  re- 
probated it  when  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  were  silent, 
and  dared,  even  in  her  weak  infancy,  to  brave  the  anger 
of  a  powerful  empire  in  behalf  of  the  wretched  slave  who 
was  thrown  upon  her  shores.  She  was  the  first  country 
to  abolish  the  trade ;  first  by  the  laws  of  her  separate 
states,  among  which  Virginia  led  the  way,  and  secondly 
by  the  law  of  her  federal  government.  More  than  a  do- 
zen years  before  the  abolition  of  the  trade  by  the  British 
parliament,  it  was  abolished  in  America  by  act  of  Con- 
gress. There  is  surely  something  to  admire  —  something- 
grand,  as  well  as  beautiful,  in  the  effect  of  liberty  on  the 


*  It  is  highly  creditable  to  the  infant  Georgia,  that  she,  for  several  years, 
successfully  resisted,  by  an  imperative  law,  the  introduction  of  slaves  into 
her  province. 


48  SLAVE-TRADE. 

human  heart.  This  Congress  was  composed,  in  great 
part,  of  representatives  from  slave-holding  states,  them- 
selves slave  holders.  Had  the  British  abolition  waited  un- 
til the  West  India  planters  should  have  voted  for  the  mea- 
sure, when  would  it  have  passed  ?  I  intend  no  invidious 
comparison.  There  were  found  among  the  West  India 
planters,  some  few  illustrious  exceptions  to  the  crowd  of 
opposers  to  the  abolition.  If  the  exceptions  among  Ame- 
ricans were  found  in  the  opposition,  and  the  crowd  on  the 
side  of  mercy  and  wise  policy,  we  must  ascribe  it  to  the 
more  liberal  institutions  under  which  they  lived. 

Canvassed  as  the  question  of  the  African  trade  has  now 
been,  until  it  is  not  only  set  at  rest  for  ever,  but  that  men 
wonder  how  its  legality  and  humanity  could  ever  be  a 
question,  it  may  be  difficult  for  us  fully  to  appreciate  the 
merits  of  the  infant  American  colonies,  who,  more  than  a 
century  before  the  attention  of  Europe  was  seriously  turn- 
ed to  the  consideration  of  this  crying  outrage,  were  en- 
gaged in  passing  statutes  to  prohibit  it.  To  obtain  the 
sanction  of  the  government  to  any  law  of  abolition,  was. 
however,  found  impossible  by  any  of  the  provinces,  until 
the  era  of  the  revolution,  when  their  governments  spoke  the 
will  of  their  people.  Then,  one  after  another,  the  assem- 
blies rendered  penal  a  crime  which  they  had  so  long  de- 
nounced ;  and  where  circumstances  permitted  the  speedy 
application  of  the  remedy,  fixed  the  year  of  emancipation 
for  their  negro  bondsmen.  Where,  as  was  the  case  to  the 
north  of  the  Susquehanna,  the  slave  population  was  incon- 
siderable, this  was  effected  with  little,  or  at  least  with 
temporary,  inconvenience.  To  the  south,  where  it  is 
numerous,  and  as  it  were  ingrafted  in  the  soil,  the  evil  yet 
needs  years  of  patience,  the  fnore  perfect  understanding 
of  the  mischief  to  the  master,  or  the  more  universal  feel- 
ing of  the  injustice  to  the  slave ;  the  more  absolute  con- 
viction of  the  necessity  of  a  remedy,  or  the  more  clear 
insight  iuto  the  mode  in  which  it  should  be  applied,  ere 


SLAVE-TRADE.  49 

this  foul  blot  can  be  effaced  from  that  portion  of  this  great 
Union,  and  the  whole  of  these  confederated  republics 
aspire,  in  their  political,  and  consequently  in  their  moral, 
character,  to  a  glorious  equality. 

It  is  not  for  a  young  and  inexperienced  foreigner  to 
suggest  remedies  for  an  evil  which  has  engaged  the  atten- 
tion of  native  philanthropists  and  statesmen,  and  hitherto 
baffled  their  efforts,  though  not  relaxed  their  exertions. 
Those  who,  removed  in  distant  countries,  know  only  of 
these  southern  republics,  that  they  are  disgraced  with  blacl 
slavery,  without  reflecting  upon  the  manner,  and  the  era 
in  which  that  curse  was  introduced,  without  inquiring  into 
the  exertions  that  may  have  been  made  towards  alle- 
viating the  misery  of  the  negro,  or  finally  achieving  his 
emancipation,  without  considering  the  difficulties  that 
must  impede  so  great  a  measure  in  its  progress  —  the 
doubts  and  fears  that  must  be  endured,  the  interest  that 
must  be  sacrificed,  the  consequences  that  must  be  braved 
—  those  who  do  not  know,  and  calmly  weigh  these  cir- 
cumstances, are,  I  apprehend,  not  impartial  judges  of  the 
merits  or  demerits  of  the  American  planters  ;  nor,  though 
they  should  be  among  the  most  generous  deplorers  of  the 
evil,  would  they  perhaps  be  the  wisest  devisers  .of  its  re- 
medy. There  is  indeed,  in  the  history  of  African  slavery, 
something  so  revolting,  that  we  may  well  pardon  any  in- 
temperance of  feeling,  which,  in  breathing  the  energy  of 
virtuous  indignation,  forgets  the  measure  of  justice,  and 
visits  too  heavily  the  crime  upon  those  who  may  suffer  its 
continuance  both  with  regret  and  alarm.  That  this  is 
more  peculiarly  the  case  with  the  majority  of  the  white 
population  of  Virginia,  cannot  be  doubted  by  any  candid 
mind.  We  need  not  trust  to  their  opinion,  as  expressed 
in  private  conversation,  we  have  but  to  peruse  the  history 
of  their  country,  the  various  statutes  enacted  by  their 
colonial  legislators,  their  unavailing  petitions  to  the  throne, 
their  enumeration  of  the  forced  continuance  of  the  African 

9 


50  SLAVE-TRADE. 

trade,  among  the  list  of  grievances  which  wan-anted  their 
dismemberment  from  the  British  empire  ;  and  we  shall 
see  how  very  early  they  deplored  the  evil,  and  how  ar- 
dently they  sought  to  crush  it  in  the  germ.  The  first 
assembly  of  their  independent  republic,  amid  all  the  dis- 
traction of  war  and  revolution,  prohibited  the  traffic  for 
ever,  and  almost  every  session  of  their  subsequent  assem- 
blies affords  some  proof,  that  the  public  mind  is  ever  turned 
towards  the  calamity  with  a  view  to  its  alleviation  or  re- 
moval. The  most  enlightened  part  of  the  community 
appear,  indeed,  to'think  these  terms  synonymous,  and  that 
no  half  measures  can  meliorate  the  condition  ef  the  slave 
or  of  the  master.  F.very  publication  that  I  have  seen  on 
the  subject,  and  even  the  very  laws,  first  trying,  and  then 
repealing  as  inefficient  or  mischievous,  regulations  which 
went  not  to  the  root  of  the  evil,  seem  to  point  to  emanci- 
pation as  the  final,  and  only  remedy. 

A  plan  of  colonization  has.  for  many  years,  been  prose- 
cuted with  vigour.  The  friends  and  supporters  of  the  so- 
cieties, organized  for  this  purpose,  even  carry  their  views 
so  far,  as  to  propose  the  removal  of  such  a  proportion  of 
the  slave  population,  as  shall  render  practicable  the  eman- 
cipation of  the  remainder;  it  is  obvious,  however,  thai, 
before  such  a  system  can  be  productive  of  any  national 
benefit,  it  must  be  made  a  national  concern.  The  report 
of  the  committee,  appointed  by  the  first  Virginia  assembly 
after  the  revolution,  to  revise  the  laws  of  the  common- 
wealth, contains  an  amendment  by  which  it  was  propo- 
sed to  educate  the  whole  black  population  at  the  public  ex- 
pense ;  and  then  to  send  them  forth  in  vessels  equipped 
with  arms,  implements  of  husbandry,  &c.,  to  the  coast  of 
Africa  or  elsewhere,  extending  to  them  the  protection  of 
the  republic,  until  they  should  be  established  as  a  nation. 
After  much  discussion  this  was  abandoned,  either  from 
want  of  funds,  or  a  deficiency  of  persevering  benevolence. 
Some  at  present  have  devised  the  scheme  of  appropriating 


CONDITION  OF  THE  NEGRO.  51 

to  this  purpose  the  money  arising  from  the  sale  of  the  na- 
tional lands.  From  various  circumstances,  I  am  led  to 
think  that  this  measure  is  neither  visionary  nor  impracti- 
cable, especially  as  it  finds  supporters  among  the  slave- 
holders of  the  South.* 

I  have  not  as  yet  replied  to  your  inquiry,  and  that  of 
your  friend,  concerning  the  appearance  of  the  black  popu- 
lation in  those  districts  of  these  northern  republics  which 
we  have  hitherto  visited.  I  hope  you  did  not  suspect  me 
of  having  thrown  your  questions  aside  ;  I  have  been  slow 
to  answer,  only  because  I  was  unwilling  to  pronounce 
hastily. 

It  has  appeared  to  me,  so  far  as  my  observations  and 
inquiries  may  authorize  an  opinion,  that,  in  no  one  particu- 
lar, has  the  American  character  been  more  unfairly  re- 
presented, than  as  regards  the  treatment  and  condition  of 
the  negro.  The  feelings  of  a  European,  when  he  lands 
in  one  of  these  northern  cities,  are,  I  have  observed,  of  a 
mixed  and  somewhat  contradictory  nature.  When  he 
sees  a  crowd  of  black  faces  assembled  at  the  corner  of  a 
street,  or  descries  the  sable  cheeks  and  clumsy  features 
of  a  negro  girl  under  a  pink  silk  bonnet,  the  sight  offends 
him  from  its  ugliness,  and  an  immediate  distaste  at  the 
country,  defaced  by  a  mixture  of  so  novel  and  unseemly 
a  population,  takes  possession  of  his  mind.  It  is  from 
foreigners,  themselves  professing  an  unwillingness,  or  even 
an  absolute  disgust  at  being  served  by  black  hands,  that 
I  have  heard  complaints  of  the  prejudice  entertained  to- 
wards them  on  the  part  of  Americans.f  So  little  of  this 

K  A  motion  for  this  purpose  was  made  in  Congress,  during  the  last  session, 
by  Mr.  Meigs,  of  New- York.  It  was  proposed  to  purchase  the  slaves  from 
their  owners  at  a  regulated  price,  to  fit  them  out  for  the  colony  established 
on  the  coast  of  Africa,  and  to  extend  to  them  the  protection  of  the  republic 
in  the  manner  formerly  proposed  by  Virginia. 

t  It  was  with  surprise,  that  I  heard  this  illiberal  disgust  expressed,  by  word 
and  gesture,,  with  peculiar  vehemence,  by  foreign  women;  and -these  often 
ladies. 


52  CONDITION   Of1 

prejudice  have  I  observed  among  this  people,  that  recol- 
lecting how  very  lately  it  was  that  the  black  citizens  were 
their  slaves,  I  was  for  some  time  absolutely  at  a  loss  to 
understand  how  there  was  not  more.  I  believe,  how- 
ever, that  the  very  cause  which  I  had  expected  to  operate 
in  an  opposite  manner,  explains  the  gentleness  of  their 
feelings  towards  these  their  freed  bondsmen.  So  much 
had  been  said  and  written  in  favour  of  the  unhappy  Afri- 
can, he  had  been  so  long  held  up  to  their  view  as  the  ob- 
ject of  compassion,  the  slave-trade  has  been  for  so  many 
years  carried  on  in  absolute  defiance  of  the  laws  of  their 
colonial  assemblies,  that  the  majority  may  be  supposed  to 
have  been  gradually  disposed  to  befriend  them  in  the  spi- 
rit of  political  opposition,  as  well  as  from  the  gentler  dic- 
tates of  human  pity.  There  is  yet  another  cause  which, 
in  the  northern  republics,  interests  the  public  feeling  in  be- 
half of  the  African ;  — it  is  his  condition  in  the  old  repub- 
lics of  the  south.  The  compassion  felt  in  England  for 
the  degradation  of  the  black  population  in  her  islands, 
cannot  necessarily  equal  that  which  is  here  felt  for  those 
who  are  kept  in  bondage  within  the  bosom  of  their  own 
America.  The  strict  bond  of  union  which  unites  the  in- 
terests of  the  numerous  stater,  seems  as  it  were  to  ap- 
proximate the  most  distant  inhabitants  of  this  vast  empire 
to  each  other.  The  blot  which  defaces  a  portion  of  the 
Union  is  felt  as  reflecting  disgrace  upon  the  whole.  The 
shame  and  the  sorrow  which  the  consideration  of  the 
southern  slavery  keeps  alive  throughout  the  great  north- 
ern and  free  western  states,  in  quickening  their  desire  to 
hurry  forward  the  day  of  its  termination,  awaken  often  a 
bitterness  of  feeling,  perhaps  unjust  and  unwise,  towards 
the  unfortunate  masters  of  more  unfortunate  slaves. 
Much  do  the  southern  planters  merit  of  their  country  for 
their  energetic  patriotism  in  the  hour  of  danger.  Well 
have  they  often  fought  the  battle  in  the  senate  and  the 
field,  when  trans- Atlantic  power  has  threatened  the 


THE  NEGRO.  53 

rights  and  lives  of  America's  citizens !  If  they  are  yet 
cursed  with  an  institution,  at  once  a  misfortune  and  a  dis- 
grace, from  which  their  more  fortunate  brethren  are  re- 
lieved, let  these  trace  it  less  to  superior  humanity  or  jus- 
tice, than  to  those  happier  circumstances  which  encoura- 
ged them  at  first  to  resist  the  evil,  and  enabled  them  af- 
terwards to  correct  it.  The  counsel,  and  perhaps  ulti- 
mately the  assistance,  of  the  great  and  numerous  north- 
ern and  western  states,  may  in  time  be  useful  in  relieving 
their  sister  states  from  this  crime  and  calamity  ;  —  if  the 
former  be  given  with  temper,  and  the  latter  yielded  with 
unpretending  generosity. 

I  apprehend  that  the  friend  of  humanity  may  consider 
with  much  satisfaction  the  condition  of  the  negro  in  the 
great  northern  portion  of  this  Union.  Every  where  are 
schools  open  for  his  instruction.  In  small  towns,  he  will 
find  him  taught  by  the  same  master,  and  attending  the 
same  church  with  the  white  population.  Would  it  not  be 
more  wise  to  rejoice  in  this  visible  decay  of  prejudice,  than 
to  dwell  on  what  remains,  and  which  still  ranges  the  black 
and  white  children  on  different  forms  in  the  school-room, 
or  the  place  of  worship  ?  In  cities,  the  Africans  have 
churches  as  well  as  preachers  of  their  own,  a  fact  from 
which  we  can  only  draw  a  satisfactory  proof  of  their  rapid 
advance  in  situation  and  knowledge.  A  European  has 
learned,  perhaps  before  he  lands  on  these  shores,  that  black 
and  white  servants  sit  down  to  meat  at  different  tables;  and 
should  he  find  the  fact  substantiated  in  the  first  hotel  in 
which  he  takes  up  his  lodging,  he  marks  it  in  his  memoran- 
dum book  with  a  note  of  admiration,  and  follows  it  up  with 
some  reflection  upon  the  liberal  opinions  that  prevail  under 
democracy.  Did  he  reflect  upon  the  history  of  this  country, 
and  the  history  of  the  African  in  every  country,  and  did 
he  consult  his  own  feelings,  which,  I  believe,  seldom  ac- 
knowledge —  I  do  not  say  an  equality,  but  a  similarity  of 
race  between  the  negro  and  himself,  he  would  perhaps 


54  CONDITION  OF 

find  little  in  the  circumstance  to  argue  the  existence  of 
any  peculiar  illiberality  in  the  sentiments  of  this  people. 
That  wise  institutions  will  do  much  towards  improving 
both  the  physical  condition  and  moral  feelings  of  men,  I 
am  ready  to  admit,  but  I  do  not  believe  that  they  can 
perfect  either.     It  seems  to  me,  however,  that  such  an 
expectation  must  have  been  formed  by  those  who  are 
surprised  to  find  in  this  community  an  unwillingness  to  as- 
sociate with  the  negro  as  with  an  equal.     Nature  has 
stamped  a  mark  upon  the  unhappy  African  which,  though 
the  more  cultivated  and  liberal  will  account  an  acciden- 
tal distinction,  the  vulgar  will  regard  as  a  symbol  of  in- 
feriority.    Had  not  the  European  of  a  less  humane  age 
degraded  the  African  below  the  human  standard,  and  laid 
the  benumbing  hand  of  oppression  on  his  intellect,  it  is 
doubtful  whether  the  least  enlightened  of  us  should  ever 
have  seen  any  thing  in  a  sable  skin  but  a  whim  of  nature, 
or  attributed  the  ignorance  and  slavishness  of  the  African 
tribes  on  their  own  soil  to  any  other  causes  than  those 
which  variously  operate  on  the  human  race  in  all  the  dif- 
fering climates  and  countries  of  the  globe.     As  it  is,  an 
invidious  comparison  has  often  been  drawn  between  the 
black  man  and  the  white,  which,  considering  the  actual 
condition  of  the  former,  is  perhaps  neither  wise  nor  hu- 
mane.    In  these  northern  republics,  where  alone  such  a 
comparison  could  be  instituted  with  any  seeming  plausibili- 
ty, a  thousand  hidden  causes  conspire  to  retain  the  African 
in  a  lower  scale  of  being  than  that  of  the  American.     The 
latter  looks  around  him  upon  a  wTorld  of  his  creation,  up- 
on a  race  of  men.  his  brethren  and  equals,  who,  like  him, 
acknowledge  no  superior  but  the  one  great  Being  who 
blessed  the  exertions  of  their  heroic  ancestors,  and  to 
whom  their  hearts  rise  in  grateful  adoration  for  the  bless- 
ings showered  on  their  country.     What  great  and  invigo- 
rating thoughts  are  here  which  are  unknown  to  the  sons 
of  slaves  !  It  was  but  yesterday,  that  they  were  "  hewers 


THE  NEGRO.  5-J 

of  wood  and  drawers  of  water"  in  the  land  which  yields 
them  their  subsistence ;  for  the  very  rights  with  which  they 
are  now  endowed,  (and  of  which  their  minds  can,  as  yet, 
scarcely  feel  the  value  or  understand  the  meaning,)  for 
these  very  rights,  for  all  they  know,  and  all  that  they  en- 
joy, they  ar_e  indebted  to  the  repenting  justice  of  masters. 
This  repentance,  however  complete,  cannot  obliterate  in 
a  moment  the  wrongs  of  years ;  cannot  transform  an  ab- 
ject slave  into  a  virtuous  citizen  ;  cannot  banish  from  his 
mind  that  he  lately  trembled  at  the  frown  of  those  who 
are  now  his  equals,  nor  banish  from  the  minds  of  these. 
that  it  was  only  by  the  law  of  their  own  lips  that  he 
ceased  to  be  the  tool  of  their  will.  It  requires  no  deep 
insight  into  the  secrets  of  human  nature  to  read  the  con- 
sequences of  this  state  of  things.  There  must  inevitably 
exist  a  barrier  between  the  American  and  the  negro,  simi- 
lar to  that  which  separates  the  higher  from  the  poorer  and 
less  polished  classes  of  society  in  Europe.  The  black  and 
the  white  man  are  a  distinct  race;  and  the  distinction  is, 
as  yet,  no  less  marked  in  the  internal  than  the  exter- 
nal man.  How  far  a  nearer  approach  in  thought,  feeling, 
and  moral  character,  in  future  generations,  may  tend  to 
remove  the  barrier,  it  is  not  easy  to  judge.  I  must  ob- 
serve that  considering  the  inferior  grade  in  society  that 
the  African  as  yet  holds ;  and  considering  also  the  frac- 
tion that  he  constitutes  in  the  sum  of  the  population,  it 
speaks  honourably  for  the  morals  of  the  American  com- 
munity, that  the  two  races  continue  so  distinctly  marked. 
Notwithstanding  the  inferior  estimation  in  which  the 
blacks  are  held,  not  so  much  on  account  of  complexion 
and  feature,  as  from  the  greater  laxity  of  their  morals,  they 
may  be  more  properly  said  to  constitute  a  distinct  than  a 
degraded  race.  They  are  equally  under  the  protection  of 
mild  and  impartial  laws ;  possess,  in  general,  the  same  po- 
litical rights  with  the  mass  of  the  community  ;  are  more 
peculiarly  the  objects  of  humane  consideration  with  the 


50 


OF 


benevolent  and  the  religious,  and  are  enabled,  from  the 
very  condition  of  the  country,  to  procure  a  subsistence,  in 
spite  of  their  indolence  and  thoughtless  forgetfulness  of  the 
morrow.  Though  neither  a  frugal,  nor,  compared  with  the 
American  population,  a  moral  people,  they  are  singularly 
cheerful  and  good-humoured,  and  are  bound  in  close  ties 
of  social  intercourse  with  each  other.  They  are  every 
where  immoderately  fond  of  dancing,  and,  when  assem- 
bled for  that  purpose  in  the  room  of  a  country  tavern,  or 
in  the  hall  or  kitchen  of  some  one  of  their  employers,  ex- 
hibit a  show  of  finery  which  might  amaze  Harlequin  him- 
self. It  is  always  thus  that  man  emerging  from  the  savage 
or  the  slavish  state,  seizes  on  the  indulgences  and  the  tin- 
sel of  luxury,  before  he  discovers  the  value  of  those  higher 
enjoyments,  derived  from  the  acquirement  of  knowledge 
and  the  cultivation  of  refined  and  elevated  sentiment.  In 
spite  of  the  many  disadvantages  under  which  the  African 
has  hitherto  laboured,  instances  are  not  wanting  where  he 
has  risen  to  considerable  wealth  and  respectability,  par- 
ticularly, I  believe,  in  the  New-England  states.  Nothing 
indeed  is  here  necessary  but  his  own  exertions  to  raise 
him  in  the  scale  of  being.  His  political  rights  must  in 
time  awaken  in  him  political  ambition,  in  which  he  has  as 
yet  been  usually  found  deficient.  In  some  of  the  states, 
the  blacks  now  frequently  exercise  their  right  of  suffrage  ; 
and  it  is  a  curious  fact,  that  in  Massachusetts  some  black 
votes  were  given  so  long  back  as  the  election  for  the  gene- 
ral Convention,  appointed  to  digest  the  plan  of  the  Fede- 
ral Government.  In  some  of  the  northern  states,  the 
right  of  suffrage  is  still  witheld  from  the  negro  ;  and  with 
seeming  reason,  for  he  is  evidently,  as  yet,  but  ill  fitted  to 
exercise  it.* 

*  Where  the  negro  holds  the  right  of  suffrage,  I  do  not  believe  the  law  ex- 
cludes him  from  any  public  office  of  the  state  ;  the  qualifications  demanded 
are,  of  course,  such  as  he  is  not  likely  to  be  found  possessed  of.  This  aud, 
custom  operate  sufficiently  to  insure  his  exclusion. 


THE  NEGRO.  57 

I  have  wandered  into  more  general  observations  than  I 
had  intended  at  the  commencement  of  this  letter,  but,  as 
they  rose  naturally  out  of  a  subject  upon  which  you  have 
expressed  some  curiosity,  I  hope  they  will  not  appear  al- 
together misplaced. 


10 


LETTER  VI. 

.KEFLKENCE  TO  LIEUTENANT  HALL. ADVICE  TO  TOURISTS. 

APPEARANCE     OF      THE      CITY     OF      PHILADELPHIA. 

STYLE  OF    ARCHITECTURE. STATE-HOUSE. REMARKS 

ON  THE  CONDUCT  OF  THE  FIRST  AMERICAN  CONGRESS. 
- — ANECDOTES  RELATING  TO  THAT  PERIOD. PECU- 
LIARITIES IN  THE  POLITICAL  CHARACTER  OF  THE  PEO- 
PLE OF  PENNSYLVANIA. INTERNAL  GOVERNMENT  OF  THE 

STATES. 

1'hiladelphia,  May,  1819. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

I  SHALL  not  fatigue  you  with  the  enumeration  and  de- 
scription of  the  public  edifices  and  institutions  of  this  city. 
Innumerable  travellers,  however  unwilling  to  see  beauty 
and  good  order  in  the  moral  and  political  frame  of  Ameri- 
can society,  bear  ample  testimony  to  the  peaceable  virtues 
and  active  benevolence  of  the  people  of  Philadelphia.* 

I  refer  you  to  Lieutenant  Hall  f  for  an  accurate  and 
interesting  description  of  the  state-prison,  an  object  which 
must  attract  the  attention  of  every  foreigner.  Let  me,  by- 

'*  Mr.  Fearon  indeed  says,  "  Although  the  eyes  and  ears  of  a  stranger  are 
not  insulted  in  the  openness  of  noon-day  with  evidence  of  hardened  profliga- 
cy, I  have  nevertheless  reason  to  believe  in  its  existence  to  a  very  great  ex- 
tent." Whoever  this  Mr.  Fearon  may  be,  or  whatever  may  have  been  his  mo. 
'  live  for  travelling  through  the  United  States,  it  is  not  by  such  vague  insinua- 
tions that  the  character  of  the  moral  and  truly  Christian  city  of  Philadelphia 
can  be  brought  into  discredit  either  in  America  or  Europe.  It  had  been  wise, 
however,  if  this  writer  had  always  kept  to  these  general  terms,  and  not  ven- 
tured upon  false  fads. 

t  Travels  in  Canada  and  the  United  States,  by  Lieutenant  Hall,  14th  Light 
Dragoons, 


ADVICE  TO  TOURISTS.  59 

the-bye,  distinguish  from  the  mass  of  travellers  who  have 
disfigured  this  qountry,  that  intelligent  officer ;  not  that  I 
am  always  disposed  to  think  or  feel  with  him  in  his  obser- 
vations upon  this  nation ;  I  incline  to  think  that  he  has  not 
always  done  justice  either  to  their  character  or  their  man- 
ners. The  same  objects  often  appear  so  differently  to  two 
different  pair  of  eyes,  though  both  should  be  equally  intent 
upon  seeing  them  as  they  are,  that  one  might  readily  be 
tempted  to  turn  Pyrrhonist,  and  call  in  doubt,  not  only  the 
sanity  of  one's  judgment,  but  the  evidence  of  one's  senses. 
The  fact  is,  that  though  we  should  even  be  disburdened  of 
national  and  individual  prejudice,  there  will  yet  remain  in 
our  constitutional  temper,  or  certain  fortuitous  circumstan- 
ces of  wind  or  weather,  a  dull  companion,  exhausted  spi- 
rits, wearied  limbs,  or  some  one  of  the  thousand  nameless 
accidents  to  whose  influence  we  frail  mortals  are  so  mi- 
serably subjected,  enough  to  jaundice  our  eye-sight  and 
pervert  our  feelings.  A  traveller  is,  of  all  men,  most  at 
the  mercy  of  these  nameless  trifles ;  it  is  a  pity  however, 
that  nations  should  be  laid  at  their  mercy  too,  or  rather  at 
the  mercy  of  a  jaded  traveller's  distempered  mind. 
Would  it  not  be  a  good  rule,  that  when  a  tourist  sits  down 
with  pen  and  paper  before  him  to  pass  judgment  upon  the 
world  around  him,  he  should  first  ask  himself  a  few  ques- 
tions :  "  Am  I  in  good  health  and  good  humour  ?  in  a 
comfortable  room  and  an  easy  chair  ?  at  peace  with  my- 
self and  all  men  about  me  ?"  I  have  a  notion  that  somo 
such  short  catechism  would  save  volumes  of  misstated 
facts  and  misrepresented  characters,  and  keep  the  peace 
not  only  between  man  and  man,  but  nation  and  nation,  in 
a  manner  undesired  by  statesmen,  and  undreamed  of  by 
philosophers.  I  mean  not  exactly  to  apply  this  to  Lieu- 
tenant Hall,  whose  remarks  in  general  do  as  much  honour 
to  his  heart  as  his  head ;  it  strikes  me  only  that  hq  has 
sometimes  judged  hastily,  or  perhaps  I  think  so  because  I 
incline  to  judge  differently. 


60  PHILADELPHIA. 

I  have  mentioned  with  how  much  pleasure  I  found 
your  name  remembered  in  some  house^bf  this  city ;  of 
course,  more  particularly  in  that  of  the  family  of  the  late 
Dr.  Rush.  I  much  regret  that  this  venerable  philan- 
thropist should  have  sunk  beneath  the  weight  of  years 
before  our  visit  to  this  country.  It  makes  even  the  young 
pause  to  ruminate  on  the  swift  wings  of  time,  when  they 
find  the  path  of  life  forsaken  by  those  whom  the  heart  has 
been  taught  to  venerate.  There  would,  indeed,  be  much 
in  this  city  to  mark  the  lapse  of  years,  were  not  this  some- 
what checked  by  the  reflection  that  years,  in  their  effects, 
count  for  ages  in  this  young  and  vigorous  world.  Wash- 
ington, Hamilton,  Gates,  and  all  the  older  veterans  of  the 
Revolution,  who  yet  trod  the  stage  when  you  surveyed  it, 
are  all  gathered  to  their  fathers;  and  though  their  names 
are  still  fresh  in  men's  mouths,  could  they  now  look  up 
from  their  graves,  they  might  scarcely  know  their  Own 
America. 

It  is  curious  to  picture  the  Philadelphia  into  which  the 
young  Franklin  threw  himself,  friendless  and  penriyless, 
to  seek  his  fortune,  and  the  Philadelphia  that  now  is  — 
we  may  say,  too,  the  Philadelphia  that  he  left  it,  when  he 
sunk,  full  of  years  and  honour,  into  the  grave.  From  a 
small  provincial  town,  without  public  libraries  01  institu- 
tions of  any  kind,  he  lived  to  see  it  not  only  the  thriving, 
populous,  and  well-endowed  capital  of  an  independent 
state,  but  the  seat  of  a  government,  the  novelty  of  whose 
principles  fixed  the  eyes  of  the  whole  civilized  world.  It 
has  now  all  the  appearance  of  a  wealthy  and  beautiful  me- 
tropolis, though  it  has  lost  the  interest  which  it  possessed 
to  you  as  the  seat  and  centre  of  political  life.  Not  merely 
has  it  ceased  to  be  the  seat  of  the  great  central  government, 
as  it  was  when  you  knew  it,  but  even  of  that  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania republic.  The  Legislature  now  meets  in  Lan- 
caster, about  60  miles  west  from  hence,  but  this  also  has 
already  grown  out  of  the  centre  of  the  fast-spreading  cir- 


PHILADELPHIA.  61 

cle  of  population ;  and,  by  an  act  of  the  Assembly,  the 
capital  is  ordained  to  travel  yet  farther  west  to  Harris- 
burgh,  on  the  east  branch  of  the  Susquehanna.  This 
town,  the  definitive  seat  of  the  Pennsylvania  state-go- 
vernment, is,  I  am  informed,  laid  out  with  great  care, 
much  on  the  same  plan  as  Philadelphia,  and  promises,  in 
the  grandeur  of  its  public  buildings,  to  outstrip  the  parent 
city. 

I  never  walked  through  the  streets  of  any  city  with  so 
much  satisfaction  as  those  of  Philadelphia.  The  neatness 
and  cleanliness  of  all  animate  and  inanimate  things,  houses, 
pavements,  and  citizens,  is  not  to  be  surpassed.  It  has  not, 
indeed,  the  commanding  position  of  New- York,  which 
gives  to  that  city  an  air  of  beauty  and  grandeur  very  im- 
posing to  a  stranger,  but  it  has  more  the  appearance  of  a 
finished  and  long-established  metropolis.  I  am  not  sure 
that  the  streets  have  not  too  many  right  angles  and  straight 
lines  to  be  altogether  pleasing  to  the  eye,  but  they  have 
so  much  the  air  of  cheerfulness,  cleanliness,  and  comfort, 
that  it  would  be  quite  absurd  to  find  fault  with  them.  The 
side  pavements  are  regularly  washed  every  morning  by 
the  domestics  of  each  house,  a  piece  of  out-door  house- 
wifery, by  the  way,  which  must  be  somewhat  mischievous 
to  the  ladies'  thin  slippers,  but  which  adds  much  to  the 
fair  appearance,  and,  I  doubt  not,  to  the  good  health  of 
the  city.  The  brick  walls,  as  well  as  frame-work  of  the 
houses,  are  painted  yearly.  The  doors  are  usually  white, 
and  kept  delicately  clean,  which,  together  with  the  broad 
slabs  of  white  marble  spread  before  them,  and  the  trees, 
now  gay  with  their  first  leaves,  which,  with  some  inter- 
vals, line  the  pavements,  give  an  air  of  cheerfulness  and 
elegance  to  the  principal  streets  quite  unknown  to  the 
black  and  crowded  cities  of  Europe.  The  plan  laid  out 
by  William  Penn,  which  has  been  generally  followed, 
was  very  early  swerved  from  in  one  important  particular. 
Instead  of  leaving  a  sloping  bank  of  verdure  rising  gra- 


62  PHILADELPHIA. 

dually  from  the  river,  vvliich  would  have  left  the  city  opon 
to  the  view  of  its  magnificent  waters,  as  well  as  to  whole- 
some and  refreshing  breezes,  it  is  choked  up  with  wharfs 
and  ugly  ruinous-looking  buildings,  the  nest  of  infection 
during  the  heats  of  summer.  Fortunately  these  are  of 
wood,  and  must  soon  run  their  time ;  when,  though  it 
should  be  found  impossible  to  restore  the  original  plan  of 
the  beneficent  founder,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  some  im- 
provements will  be  effected.  To  do  without  wharfs  and 
warehouses  Penn  himself  might,  in  these  days,  allow  to 
be  out  of  the  question  ;  but  I  think  that  he  would  recom- 
mend their  being  built  of  a  more  pure  as  well  as  more 
durable  material  than  wood.  Any  thing  which  favours 
the  collection  of  filth  and  vegetable  matter,  which  the  in- 
terstices between  the  rafts  and  frames  of  the  projecting 
quays  must  now  certainly  do,  should  carefully  be  avoided 
beneath  so  fervid  a  sun  as  here  shines  during  the  summer 
months.  The  crowd  of  ugly  buildings,  and  altogether 
4he  negligence  of  this  confused  corner  of  the  city,  forms 
a  strange  contrast  to  the  regular  beauty  which  opens  to 
the  eye  the  moment  you  emerge  from  it.  The  orderly 
and  cleanly  citizens  of  Philadelphia  must,  indeed,  look  to 
it  and  amend  it  altogether,  or  assuredly  the  demon  of  yel- 
low fever  will  occasionally  knock  at  their  doors. 

The  public  buildings  are  all  remarkable  for  neatness, 
and  some  for  pure  and  classic  elegance.  Another 
bank  is  about  to  be  built  on  as  simple  a  model  as  the 
Pennsylvania.  I  trust  the  citizens  will  never  swerve  from 
the  pure  style  of  architecture  to  which  they  seem  at  pre- 
sent to  have  attached  themselves  ;  above  all,  I  trust  they 
will  never  attempt  the  Gothic,  a  failure  in  which,  being  a 
failure  in  the  sublime,  is  of  all  failures  the  worst.  The 
Academy  of  Arts  contains  a  small,  but  well-chosen  col- 
lection of  pictures,  among  which  I  have  regarded  with 
most  pleasure  two  modern  pieces  —  an  exquisite  Niobe 
by  Rehberg,  and  a  masterly  scriptural  piece  by  the  Ame- 


PHILADELPHIA.  63 

rican  artist  Allston.  It  is  truly  surprising  how  prolific? 
this  young  country  has  already  been  in  painters.  West, 
Leslie,  Coppely,  Trumbull,  and  Allston,  are  names 
known  and  respected  in  both  hemispheres.  The  last- 
mentioned  artist  seems  destined  to  rise  to  peculiar  emi- 
nence. There  is  a  genius  in  his  conception,  an  ease  in 
his  execution,  and  a  truth  in  his  colouring,  which  stamp 
him  for  a  master  in  his  art.  He  is  now  in  Boston,  and  it 
is  said,  has  patriotically  pledged  himself  to  try  his  fortune 
in  his  own  country. 

The  state-house,  state-house  no  longer  in  any  thing 
but  name,  is  an  interesting  object  to  a  stranger,  and, 
doubtless,  a  sacred  shrine  in  the  eyes  of  Americans.  I 
know  not  but  that  I  was  a  little  offended  to  find  stuffed 
birds,  and  beasts,  and  mammoth  skeletons  filling  the  place 
of  senators  and  sages.  It  had  been  in  better  taste,  per- 
haps, to  turn  the  upper  rooms  of  this  empty  sanctuary  into 
a  library,  instead  of  a  museum  of  natural  curiosities  or  a 
mausoleum  of  dead  monsters.*  I  might  have  judged  that 
the  citizens  felt  less  respect  for  this  venerable  building 
than  had  been  pleasing  to  me,  had  not  every  friend  or  ac- 
quaintance that  ever  passed  it  with  me,  paused  before  it 
to  make  some  observation.  "  Those  are  the  windows  of 
the  room  in  which  our  first  Congress  sat."  "  There  was 
signed  the  declaration  of  our  independence."  "  From 
those  steps  the  declaration  of  independence  was  read  in 
the  ears  of  the  people."  Ay  !  and  deeply  must  it  have 
thrilled  to  their  hearts.  'Tis  a  fine  moment  to  recall ; 
one  that  swells  the  bosom,  and  makes  us  proud  of  our 
nature. 

Who  can  consider,  without  deep  and  affecting  sym- 
pathy, that  little  assembled  senate,  who,  in  the  name  of 
a  young  and  unskilled  people,  there  set  at  defiance  the 
power  of  a  mighty  empire,  —  not  rashly  and  ignorantly. 
but  advisedly  and  calmly,  —  having  weighed  their  own 

*  The  lower  rooms  are  more  appropriately  occupied  by  the  courts  of  law\ 


04  REMARKS  ON  THE 

weakness  as  well  as  their  adversary's  strength,  —  feeling 
the  heavy  responsibility  that  rested  on  their  decision,  — 
calculating  the  consequences  of  attempt  and  failure,  and 
then,  with  a  full  conviction  of  all  the  mighty  odds  against 
them,  "  having  counted  the  cost  of  the  contest,  and  finding 
nothing  so  dreadful  as  voluntary  slavery,"  solemnly  appeal- 
ing to  the  supreme  Judge  of  the  world  for  the  rectitude  of  their 
intentions,  and  pledging  to  each  other  "  their  lives,  their 
fortunes,  and  their  sacred  honour,"  ranging  themselves  and 
their  infant  nation  under  the  banners  of  liberty,  denoun- 
cing their  oppressors  enemies  in  war,  in  peace  friends.  I 
know  not,  in  the  whole  page  of  human  history,  any  thing 
more  truly  grand  and  morally  sublime  than  the  conduct 
of  the  American  Congress  throughout  that  unequal  contest, 
upon  which  hung  not  the  liberties  of  one  people  but  those 
of  mankind.  How  admirable  was  the  moderation  which 
marked  their  earlier  deliberations ;  the  calmness  which 
they  opposed  to  ministerial  haughtiness,  the  firmness  they 
opposed  to  ministerial  obstinacy,  tempering  vigour  with 
prudence,  and  inflexible  principle  with  respectful  submis- 
sion !  How  admirable  their  dignity  when  called  upon 
finally  to  decide  between  unconditional  submission,  or 
resistance  by  force !  With  what  stoical  composure  they 
made  the  noble  choice,  and,  having  made  it,  with  what 
unshrinking  fortitude  they  met  all  the'  vicissitudes  of  for- 
tune, —  the  ebb  and  flow  of  the  tide  of  war,  the  discontent 
of  the  factious,  the  fears  of  the  timid,  the  despondency 
even  of  the  high-minded,  never  cast  down  by  repeated 
misfortunes,  nor  too  much  elated  by  momentary  success. 
When  the  houseless  people  were  scattered  before  their 
invaders,  when  the  army  unpaid,  unclothed,  vainly  sought 
assistance  from  the  commander,  and  he  vainly  sought  it 
in  the  exhausted  treasury,  when  the  sword  fell  from  their 
tainting  hands,  and  the  blank  of  despair  seemed  falling  on 
their  hearts,  still  did  these  patriots  weather  the  storm,  still 
did  they  find  confidence  in  their  just  cau^e.  and.  with  their 


FIRST  AMERICAN  CONGRESS.  65 

eyes  upon  the  pole-star  of  liberty,  did  they  steady  the 
helm  of  the  reeling  vessel  of  the  infant  state,  ride  out  tri- 
umphantly the  storm  of  war  and  revolution,  and  gain  the 
glorious  haven,  from  which  their  thoughts  had  never 
swerved. 

The  annals  of  every  nation  can  supply  us  with  some 
brilliant  characters  who  stand  superior  to  the  sordid  pas- 
sions which  sway  the  minds  of  ordinary  men,  and  but  too 
often  dictate  the  feelings  of  national  communities.  But 
how  seldom  is  it,  that,  in  the  most  energetic  pages  of 
history,  we  find  a  body  of  men  uniting  all  the  qualities  of 
sages  and  heroes,  —  cautious  in  their  deliberations,  firm 
and  united  in  their  measures,  pure  in  their  feelings,  beyond 
suspicion  in  their  conduct. 

To  the  unbending  spirit  and  perfect  rectitude  of  the 
Congress,  was  mainly  owing  the  salvation  of  the  Ame- 
rican people,  not  merely  from  foreign  conquest,  but  from 
intestine  broils.  To  their  little  senate-room,  amid  all  the 
changes  of  war,  did  the  eyes  of  the  people  ever  turn  in 
hope  and  confidence.  Were  their  little  armies  defeated, 
were  their  heroic  generals  fighting  in  retreat,  were  their 
cities  taken,  were  their  houses  in  flames,  was  their  com- 
merce destroyed,  was  their  gold  and  their  credit  gone ; 
they  still  looked  to  that  high-minded  assembly,  whose 
counsels,  they  were  satisfied,  were  ever  framed  with  good 
intention,  and  whose  energies  were  ever  employed  to 
relieve  the  sufferings  that  they  could  not  prevent. 

It  is  interesting  to  imagine,  what  must  have  been  the 
earnest  thoughts  of  those  modern  Romans  throughout  that 
trying  contest ;  —  what  their  anxieties,  and,  finally,  what 
the  flood  of  joy  that  must  have  poured  on  their  hearts, 
when  the  tidings  reached  them,  that  the  last  great  victory 
was  achieved.  There  is  a  little  anecdote,  recorded  in 
the  history  of  that  period,  which  seems,  in  a  manner,  to 
set  this  before  us.  The  old  door-keeper  of  the  house  of 
Congress,  when  the  news  suddenly  reached  him  of  the 

11 
• 


61)  REMARKS  ON  THE 

surrender  ol'Cornwallis,  dropt  on  the  instant  dead.  The 
feelings  of  this  poor  veteran,  too  intense  for  his  feeble  age, 
seem  to  image  well  those  of  the  members  of  that  assem- 
bly, upon  which  he  had  been  so  faithful  an  attendant. 

In  the  history  of  the  American  Revolution,  I  know  not 
which  is  most  admirable,  —  the  integrity  of  the  Congress, 
or  the  confidence  of  the  people  in  their  integrity-  The 
first  was  so  pure,  that  throughout  that  distracted  period, 
•which  might  so  well  have  furnished  temptation  to  the  self- 
ish or  the  ambitious,  we  find  not  one  member  of  that  mag- 
nanimous assembly  even  suspected  of  peculation,  or  of 
a  desire  of  personal  aggrandizement ;  and  the  latter  was 
so  entire,  that,  during  the  worst  days  of  that  stormy  period, 
the  public  suffering  was  never  charged  to  any  wilful  mis- 
management on  the  part  of  the  government ;  not  even 
when  its  faith  was  violated,  by  the  gradual  depreciation  and 
final  extinction  of  a  paper  currency,  which  had  been  issued 
\yithout  funds,  and  which  ceased  to  circulate,  with  scarce 
the  shadow  of  a  prospect  being  held  out  for  its  future  re- 
demption. "  The  demise  of  one  king,  -(says  Ramsay,  in 
his  succinct,  but  classical  history  of  his  country,)  and  the 
coronation  of  a  lawful  successor,  have  often  excited  greater 
commotions  in  royal  governments  than  took  place  in  the 
United  States  on  the  sudden  extinction  of  the  whole  cur- 
rent money.  The  people  saw  the  necessity  which  com- 
pelled their  rulers  to  act  in  the  manner  they  had  done  ; 
and  being  well  convinced  that  the  good  of  their  country 
was  their  object,  quietly  submitted  to  measures,  which, 
under  other  circumstances,  would  scarcely  have  been  ex- 
piated by  the  lives  and  fortunes  of  their  authors." 

That  a  government,  framed  in  all  the  distraction  of  re- 
volution, —  a  powerful  enemy  on  the  very  shores,  the 
emissaries  of  that  enemy  in  the  very  heart  of  the  country, 
the  Indians  on  one  side  their  allies,  and  the  ocean  on  the 
other  possessed  by  their  fleets,  that,  at  such  a  time,  a  go- 
vernment so  hastily  organized,  unpractised  in  those  powers 


FIRST  AMERICAN  CONGRESS.  67 

it  was  called  upon  to  exercise,  with  armies  untrained,  un- 
fed, unclothed,  and  without  a  treasury  to  meet  the  de- 
mands that  assailed  them  on  every  side,  the  commerce  of 
the  country  suddenly  destroyed,  the  harvests  laid  waste, 
not  a  guinea  in  the  whole  country,  except  in  the  hands  of 
the  enemy,  —  that  at  such  a  time,  and  under  such  circum- 
stances, the  public  confidence  should  have  been  preserved, 
argues  a  degree  of  moderation  on  the  part  of  the  govern- 
ment, and  of  good  sense,  and  devoted  feeling  on  that  of 
the  people,  as  perhaps  in  the  history  of  ancient  or  mo- 
dern times  was  never  equalled,  and  certainly  has  never 
been  surpassed. 

In  the  history  of  the  dispute  which  first  involved  the 
liberty,  and  latterly  the  very  existence  of  the  young  Ayne- 
rica,  it  is  worthy  of  remark,  that  the  prudence  of  her  Con- 
gress was  always  equal  to  their  intrepidity,  and  their  in- 
trepidity to  their  prudence.  Like  a  cautious  general,  they 
advanced  slowly,  but  never  yielded  an  inch  of  the  ground 
they  had  once  assumed.  At  first  called  together  by  the 
voice  of  their  fellow  citizens,  without  consent,  or  rather  in 
very  despite  of  existing  authorities,  the  legality  of  whose 
title  remained  unquestioned,  they  calmly  took  in  review 
the  colonial  grievances,  and  petitioned  their  redress  upon 
those  constitutional  grounds,  acknowledged  by  the  distant 
monarchy  of  which  they  professed  themselves,  as  they,  in 
truth,  then  appear  to  have  been,  loyal  and  affectionate 
subjects.  Without  assuming  power  to  enact  laws,  they 
passed  resolutions,  to  the  sacred  observance  of  which,  un- 
til redress  of  the  enumerated  grievances  should  be  obtain- 
ed, they  bound  themselves  by  the  ties  of  honour  and  pa- 
triotism. That  these  simple  ties  should  have  proved  suf- 
ficient to  hold  together  the  people  of  numerous  and  distant 
provinces,  who  had  heretofore  been  often  divided  by  jea- 
lousies and  clashing  interests,  and  to  give  an  effect  to  the 
recommendations  of  private  individuals  as  absolute  as 
could  have  followed  upon  the  fiat  of  an  established  despot. 


68  REMARKS  OX  THE 

affords  a  beautiful  evidence  of  the  readiness  with  which 
national  obedience  is  yielded  when  the  hearts  of  a  people 
are  with  their  rulers.  These  laws,  but  too  often  found 
imaginary,  were  then  sufficient  at  once  to  supersede  the 
authority  of  existing  law,  and  to  triumph  over  the  vulgar 
passions  of  humanity.  They  were  stronger  than  man's 
avarice  and  woman's  vanity ;  set  at  nought  poverty  and 
suffering,  and  transformed  a  nation  of  industrious  citizens 
into  one  of  patriot  soldiers  and  high-minded  heroes.  The 
state  of  the  public  feeling  is  well  expressed  by  the  unpre- 
tending historian  I  have  before  quoted.  "  From  what- 
ever cause  it  proceeded,  it  is  certain  that  a  disposition  to 
do,  to  suffer,  and  to  accommodate,  spread  from  breast  to 
breast,  and  from  colony  to  colony,  beyond  the  reach  of 
human  calculation.  It  seemed  as  though  one  mind  in- 
spired the  whole.  The  merchants  put  far  behind  them 
the  gains  of  trade,  and  cheerfully  submitted  to  a  total  stop- 
page of  business,  in  obedience  to  the  recommendations  of 
men  invested  with  no  legislative  powers.  The  cultiva- 
tors of  the  soil  with  unanimity  assented  to  the  determina- 
tion that  the  hard-earned  produce  of  their  farms  should 
remain  unshipped,  although,  in  case  of  a  free  exportation, 
many  would  have  been  eager  to  have  purchased  it  from 
them  at  advanced  prices.  The  sons  and  daughters  of  ease 
renounced  imported  conveniences,  and  voluntarily  en- 
gaged to  eat,  drink,  and  wear  only  such  articles  as  their 
country  afforded.  These  sacrifices  were  made,  not  from 
the  pressure  of  present  distress,  but  on  the  generous  prin- 
ciple of  sympathy  with  an  invaded  sister  colony,  and  the 
prudent  policy  of  guarding  against  a  precedent  which 
might,  on  a  future  day,  operate  against  their  liberties." 

"  This  season  of  universal  distress  exhibited  a  striking 
proof  how  practicable  it  is  for  mankind  to  sacrifice  ease, 
pleasure,  and  interest,  when  the  mind  is  strongly  excited 
by  its  passions.  In  the  midst  of  their  sufferings,  cheer- 
fulness appeared  in  the  face  of  all  the  people.  They 


FIRST  AMERICAN  CONGRESS.  69 

counted  every  thing  cheap  in  comparison  with  liberty, 
and  readily  gave  up  whatever  tended  to  endanger  it.  A 
noble  strain  of  generosity  and  mutual  support  was  ge- 
nerally excited.  A  great  and  powerful  diffusion  of  public 
spirit  took  place.  The  animation  of  the  times  raised  the 
actors  in  these  scenes  above  themselves,  and  excited  them 
to  deeds  of  self-denial,  which  the  interested  prudence  of 
calmer  seasons  can  scarcely  credit." 

But  though  empowered  by  their  fellow  citizens  to  think 
and  to  act  for  them,  at  a  time,  too,  when  the  public  feel- 
ing was  wrought  to  the  highest  pitch  of  enthusiasm,  the 
members  of  this  virtuous  assembly  never  exceeded  the 
necessity  of  the  occasion.  They  kept  in  view  the  in- 
terests and  honour  of  the  community,  but  held  their  pas- 
sions in  check.  So  long  as  the  most  distant  prospect 
remained  to  them  of  obtaining  the  acknowledgment  of 
their  country's  rights,  they  preserved  the  language  and 
character  of  British  subjects. 

In  their  second  meeting,  while  they  issued  their  coun- 
sels to  their  fellow  citizens  to  persevere  in  repelling  force 
by  force,  and  entered  with  them  into  active  preparations 
for  defensive  war,  they  respectfully  petitioned  the  distant 
throne,  that  these  preparations  might  be  rendered  unne- 
cessary. The  manly  style  in  which  they  apostrophized 
the  mother  country  was  calculated  as  well  to  soothe 
her  pride  as  to  convince  her  reason.  Having  stated  the 
grievances  which  provoked  their  resistance,  they  declared 
"  that,  notwithstanding  their  sufferings,  they  retained  toe- 
high  a  regard  for  the  kingdom  from  which  they  derived 
their  origin,  to  request  such  a  reconciliation  as  might  be 
inconsistent  with  her  dignity  and  welfare."  The  con- 
tempt thrown  upon  these  remonstrances,  and,  it  is  said, 
the  contemptuous  language  addressed  to  their  venerable 
Franklin,  did  yet  more  to  turn  the  minds  of  the  people 
from  their  parent  country  than  did  even  the  sword  which 
she  pointed  at  their  throats.  However  this  may  be,  these 


70  REMARKS  Off- THE 

united  griefs  rapidly  prepared  the  public  mind  for  the  re- 
ception of  the  numerous  energetic  pamphlets  which  began 
to  advocate  the  national  disunion  of  the  colonies  from  the 
British  empire.  The  circulation  and  effect  of  the  well- 
known  "Common  Sense"  were  instantaneous  as  those 
of  the  electric  fluid.  Thousands  were  convinced  by  its 
homely  reasoning,  but  more  were  carried  away  by  the 
passion  of  feeling,  which  it  wrought  to  the  highest  pitch 
of  human  enthusiasm.  Then  followed  the  declaration  of 
independence.  The  wishes  of  the  people  had  preceded 
the  act  of  their  rulers,  and  the  style  of  .that  act  affixed  yet 
a  new  seal  of  confirmation  to  their  wishes.  The  simple 
exposition  of  moral  and  political  truths  with  which  it 
opens  elevated  still  higher  the  already  sublimed  tone  of 
the  public  sentiment;  the  energetic  enumeration  of  the 
national  wrongs,  opposed  as  in  contrast  to  these  great  laws 
of  nature,  kindled  anew  the  national  indignation ;  the  so- 
lemn appeal  to  the  great  Author  of  Being,  and  the  sacred 
pledge  of  "  lives,"  "  fortunes,"  "and  honour,"  with  which  it 
closes,  roused  all  the  devotion  of  human  hearts  and  manly 
minds ;  and,  assuredly,  never  was  it  roused  in  a  better  or 
a  nobler  cause.  It  was  not  the  cause  of  Americans  only, 
it  was  the  cause  of  the  very  people  whose  injustice  they 
opposed  ;  it  was  the  cause  of  every  people  on  the  earth ; 
of  the  whole  great  family  of  human  kind.  Well  might 
that  high-minded  patriot  and  statesman,  the  English 
Chatham,  exclaim  in  the  British  parliament,  in  the 
face  of  the  British  minister,  "  I  rejoice  that  America 
has  resisted!"  Well  might  he  observe,  that  "  three  mil- 
lions of  fellow  creatures,  so  lost  to  every  sense  of  virtue, 
as  tamely  to  give  up  their  liberties,  would  be  Jit  instru- 
ments to  make  slaves  of  the  rest."  Had  America  basely  sub- 
mitted to  the  encroachments  of  ministerial  parliaments, 
soon  would  that  same  parliament  have  tried  encroach- 
ments upon  the  liberties  of  England ;  or  had  the  infant 
America  been  overwhelmed  by  the  armies  poured  upon 


FIRST  AMERICA^  CONGRESS.        .  71 

her  shores,  with  the  buried  liberties  of  her  people,  without 
farther  efforts  on  the  part  of  their  rulers,  her  victors  had 
buried  for  ever  their  own  national  virtue,  and  honour,  and 
character.  Then,  indeed,  had  we  read  this  moral  upon 
England's 

"  faded  brow, 

Nations,  like  men  who  others'  rights  invade, 
Shall  doubly  rue  the  havoc  they  have  made, 
And,  in  a  brother's  liberties  o'erthrown, 
Shall  weep  to  find  that  they  have  wreck'd  their  own." 

Thoughts  of  a  Recluse. 

Considering  the  common  frailties  of  human  nature,  we 
might  well  be  at  a  loss  to  account  for  the  uniform  recti- 
tude of  the  first  rulers  of  these  infant  republics ;  but  the 
secret  is  thus  simply  explained  by  Ramsay.  "  The  pub- 
lic voice  elevated  none  to  a  seat  in  that  august  assembly 
but  such  as,  in  addition  to  considerable  abilities,  possessed 
that  ascendency  over  the  minds  of  their  fellow  citizens 
which  can  neither  be  acquired  by  birth,  nor  purchased  by 
wealth."' 

The  occasional  weakness  of  the  central  government 
during  the  revolutionary  struggle  was  as  much  owing  to 
the  unwillingness  of  its  members  to  assume  too  much,  as 
to  the  difficulty  of  exacting  obedience,  or  of  procuring 
that  unanimity  of  measures  (which  can  alone  render  the 
greatest  national  struggles  effective)  throughout  the  ex- 
tent of  the  vast  and  thinly  peopled  territory  which  was 
every  where  assailed  by  invading  legions.  The  vigilant 
patriotism  of  the  Congress  was  as  uniformly  exerted  to 
protect  the  civil  as  the  national  liberties  of  their  country; 
for  the  former  they  began  the  struggle,  and,  when  neces- 
sity compelled  them  to  prosecute  it  for  the  latter,  they 
never  for  a  moment  lost  sight  of  the  one  nor  the  other. 
They  seem  to  have  ever  held  before  them  that  page  of  the 
history  of  their  English  ancestors,  when  having  risen 
against  the  tyranny  of  a  monarch,  the  people  fell  beneath 


72  REMARKS  ON 

^Hi 

that  of  a  soldiery.  These  indeed  are  the  Scylla  and  Cha- 
rybdis  between  which  it  is  so  difficult  for  a  nation  to  steer 
during  the  storm  of  political  commotions:  it  was  here 
that  the  vessel  of  the  state  was  wrecked  in  England  at  the 
era  of  the  commonwealth ;  it  was  here  that  it  was 
wrecked  in  France  at  that  of  the  Revolution.  If  it  be 
not  impossible,  it  is  at  least  incalculably  difficult  to  esta- 
blish the  liberties  of  a  country  on  a  solid  foundation  by 
means  of  a  vigorous  army ;  it  is,  indeed,  the  most  efficient 
weapon  wherewith  to  combat  tyranny,  but  it  is  a  two- 
edged  one  ;  it  forces  open  the  temple  to  liberty,  but  stabs 
her  as  she  ascends  her  throne.  The  earlier  Congress  may 
perhaps  be  judged  to  have  carried  their  scrupulous  pre- 
caution too  far ;  to  have  exerted,  if  I  may  so  express  my 
self,  too  paternal  a  dominion  for  a  season  of  such  exigen- 
cy ;  to  have  calculated  too  much  upon  that  moral  force 
which  they  saw  so  powerfully  exerted  around  them ;  to 
have  deemed,  in  short,  the  self-impelled  energy  of  the 
country  to  have  been  sufficient  to  spurn  the  invaders  from 
her  shores.  That  their  first  calculation  was  erroneous  is 
undoubted,  and  the  experience  of  a  second  campaign  in- 
duced them  to  adopt  more  vigorous  measures  ;  but  their 
vigour  was  ever  so  tempered  with  prudence,  their  ardour 
for  speedy  relief  from  foreign  violence  so  balanced  by  the 
dread  of  nerving  too  strongly  the  hands  of  internal  power, 
that  they  have  frequently  been  censured  for  too  excessive 
a  moderation,  for  dreaming,  in  short,  upon  abstract  rights, 
while  the  very  existence  of  the  nation  was  at  stake.  The 
more  reflecting,  especially  among  Americans,  who  may 
be  allowed  to  be  the  best  judges  of  a  scene  in  which  they 
or  their  fathers  were  the  actors,  are  wont  to  ascribe  to  the 
revolutionary  Congress  a  wisdom  as  practical  as  it  was 
beautiful.  They  were  not  dreaming  upon  abstract  prin- 
ciples; they  were  guarding  the  actual  rights  and  pre- 
serving the  morals  of  the  community.  They  judged  it 
a  lesser  evil  that  the  war  should  be  somewhat  protracted. 


FIRST  AMERICAN  CONGRESS. 

than  that  the  seeds  of  political  evil  should  be  ingrafted  on 
the  soil.  They  accounted  it  impossible  to  make  slaves  of 
a  people  who  were  determined  to  be  free,  and  the  result 
proved  that  they  judged  wisely.  The  Fabian  shield  em- 
ployed by  their  wise  general  in  his  military  conduct  was 
spread  by  themselves  over  the  civil  government.  Their 
aim  was  to  do  nothing  that  might  afterwards  require  to  be 
undone;  a  rule  the  steady  adherence  to  which  imparts 
more  lasting  strength  to  a  government  than  any  which 
has  ever  been  devised.  It  must  farther  be  observed,  that 
the  powers  of  Congress  were  at  this  season  by  no  means 
clearly  denned  ;  and  had  they  incautiously  stretched  them 
too  far,  they  might  have  roused  opposition,  and  so  divided 
the  community.  As  it  was,  they  held  it  united ;  indeed, 
the  unanimity  of  sentiment  which  prevailed  throughout 
this  scattered  community  during  that  grievous  and  pro- 
tracted warfare,  is  perhaps  not  the  least  striking  feature 
in  the  character  of  the  times.  No  jealousy  of  the  govern- 
ment, none  of  the  commander,  ever  mingled  its  leaven 
with  the  patriotism  of  the  people ;  both  indeed  were  so 
pure,  it  was  impossible  to  doubt  them  ;  and  this  it  was 
that  blunted  the  swords  of  the  enemy,  and  before  which 
their  experienced  and  well-provisioned  armies  fell  one 
after  another,  as  the  ripe  leaves  of  the  forest  before  the 
invisible  breezes  of  heaven. 

I  must  here  recall  to  you  that  singular  evidence  of  the 
devotion  of  the  national  feeling,  afforded,  I  think,  in  the 
seventh  year  of  the  war,  after  the  revolt  of  the  Pennsyl- 
vania line.  You  will  remember  the  hard  sufferings  which 
produced  the  mutiny.  Fainting  under  the  united  hard- 
ships of  military  duty,  and  deficient  food  and  clothing, 
they  withdrew  from  the  body  of  the  army,  demanding  tiiat 
which  their  officers  had  not  to  give,  the  immediate  supply 
of  their  necessities.  To  awe  them  into  obedience,  Gen. 
Wayne  presented  his  pistols  ;  they  pointed  their  bayonets 
at  his  breast.  "  We  love  and  respect  you,  but  if  you  fire. 

12 


74  REMARKS  ON  THh 

you  are  a  dead  man.  We  are  not  going  to  the  enemy ; 
but  are  determined  on  obtaining  our  just  rights."  They 
withdrew  in  good  order,  with  their  arms  and  field-pieces, 
to  -a 'neighbouring  town,  committed  no  devastations,  but 
obstinately  persisted  in  their  demands.  Congress  dis- 
patched some  of  its  members  to  the  mutineers,  but  before 
these  arrived,  emissaries  from  the  enemy  appeared  among 
them.  Unconditional  terms  were  offered ;  gold,  prefer- 
ment, and  the  immediate  cover  and  assistance  of  a  body 
of  royal  troops,  already  on  their  march  towards  them. 
Their  reply  was  the  instant  seizure  of  their  evil  tempters, 
whom  they  sent  immediately  under  a  guard  from  their 
own  body  to  the  same  general  who  had  pointed  his  pistols 
at  their  lives.  At  tlie  appearance  of  the  Congress'  com- 
missioners, their  grievances  were  stated  and  redressed : 
but  when  President  Reed  offered  them  a  hundred  guineas 
from  his  private  purse,  as  a  reward  for  their  fidelity  in 
having  surrendered  the  spies,  the  sturdy  patriots  refused 
them.  "  We  have  done  a  duty  we  owed  our  country, 
and  neither  desire  nor  will  receive  any  reward,  but  the 
approbation  of  that  country  for  which  we  have  so  often 
bled."*  A  country  peopled  by  such  men  might  be  over- 
run, but  could  not  be  sulxlued.  This  conviction  support- 
ed the  Congress  in  the  most  trying  emergencies ;  they 
ever  preserved  equal  hopes,  and  asserted  the  same  claims, 
whether  their  fellow  citizens  were  victorious  or  defeated. 
They  seem  to  have  foreseen  this  consequence  from  defeat, 
a  new  ardour  in  the  cause  of  liberty  ;  and  most  truly  were 
their  expectations  answered.  The  national  spirit  ever 
rose  highest  in  the  moment  of  adversity ;  the  greater  the 
pressure,  the  more  vigorous  the  rebound ;  the  longer  the 

*  Among  these  soldiers  were  some  naturalized  citizens,  natives  of  Ireland, 
a  country  which  has  sent  forth  many  an  able  hand  and  head  to  the  Ameri- 
can wilderness;  many,  too,  of  high  birth,  but  whom  political  or  religious 
persecution  has  made  aliens  and  foreigners. 


FIRST  AMERICAN  CONGRESS.  /  ,J 

blessings  of  peace  and  independence  were  withheld,  the 
fiercer  was  the  desire  for  their  possession. 

I  shall  perhaps  weary  you  with  these  reflections  upon 
past  events.  They  are  so  glorious,  however,  that  the 
mind  has  pleasure  in  recurring  to  them.  Such  actions 
inculcate  lessons  beyond  all  that  the  schools  can  teach ; 
which  charm  the  dull  monotony  of  ordinary  life,  refute 
the  misanthrope,  and  encourage  the  hopes  of  good  men. 
It  is  true,  that  great  excitement,  that  is,  perhaps,  great 
crimes,  are  necessary  to  call  into  being  great  virtues. 
The  world  is  happier,  therefore,  when  these  are  left  in 
embryo ;  but  it  is  good  to  have  proof  that  the  seeds  are 
there,  lest  we  should  sometimes  doubt  it.  You  will  say, 
perhaps,  that,  according  to  this  calculation,  the  balance 
is  even ;  but  it  is  not.  As  the  shadow  of  a  giant  will 
hide  the  littleness  of  a  multitude  of  dwarfs,  so  will  the 
dignity  of  a  hero  outweigh  the  meanness  of  a  host  of  com- 
mon men.  What  child,  in  reading  of  the  torments  of 
Regulus,  does  not  so  triumph  in  the  proud  constancy  of 
the  Roman,  as  to  forget  with  him  the  cruelty  of  his  ene- 
mies ?  In  reading  the  answer  of  the  member  of  Congress, 
when  tempted  to  betray  his  country,  "  Tell  the  King  of 
England,  I  am  not  worth  buying ;  but  that,  such  as  I  am, 
he  is  not  rich  enough  to  do  it,"  who  does  not,  in  the  in- 
dignant scorn  of  the  patriot,  forget  the  littleness  of  those 
spirits  who  doubted  his  virtue  ?  In  contemplating  the  suf- 
ferings of  those  who  endured  in  a  noble  cause,  we  have  a 
secret  assurance  that  the  magnanimous  mind  had  that 
within  itself  which  the  oppressor  never  dreamed  of.  In 
considering  Henry  Laurens  in  his  prison,  when  we  hear 
him  spurning  the  offers  of  liberty  and  ministerial  favour, 
and  braving  the  last  threats  of  power  rather  than  demand 
of  his  son  a  moment's  relaxation  from  his  duty,  we  forget 
that  we  are  reading  of  a  man  bowed  down  with  infirmi- 
ties, and  feel  that  his  spirit  rose  then  yet  more  proudly  in 
his  narrow  prison  than  it  did  when,  in  the  strange  revolu- 


76  POLITICAL  CHARACTER  OF  THL 

tion  of  human  affairs,  he  was  called  forth  to  mediate  a 
peace  between  his  enemies  and  his  victorious  countrymen. 
You  may  not  be  acquainted  with  the  anecdote  to  which 
I  allude  ;  it  is  one  among  a  thousand  recorded  of  the  in- 
trepid assertors  of  American  independence. 

Henry  Laurens,  a  gentleman  of  property  and  high  con- 
sideration in  this  his  native  country,  was  deputed  by  Con- 
gress, in  the  latter  years  of  the  war,  to  negotiate  a  treaty 
between  the  United  States  of  America  and  those  of  Hol- 
land. He  was  captured  on  his  passage,  and  thrown  into 
a  close  and  grievous  imprisonment  in  the  Tower  of  Lon- 
don. Many  propositions  were  there  made  to  him,  which 
were  repelled  with  indignation.  At  length,  news  being 
received  that  his  eldest  son  (a  youth  of  such  uncommon 
talents,  exalted  sentiments,  and  prepossessing  manners 
and  appearance,  that  a  romantic  interest  is  still  attached 
to  his  name)  had  been  appointed  the  special  minister  of 
Congress  to  the  French  court,  and  was  there  urging  the 
suit  of  his  country  with  winning  eloquence,  the  father  was 
requested  to  write  to  his  son,  and  persuade  his  return 
to  America ;  it  being  farther  hinted,  that,  as  he  was 
held  prisoner  in  the  light  of  a  rebel,  his  life  should  depend 
upon  compliance.  "  My  son  is  of  age,"  replied  the 
heroic  father  of  a  heroic  son,  '•  and  has  a  will  of  his  own. 
I  know  him  to  be  a  man  of  honour.  He  loves  me  dearly, 
and  would  lay  down  his  life  to  save  mine,  but  1  am  sure 
that  he  would  not  sacrifice  his  honour  to  save  my  life,  and 
I  applaud  him."  This  veteran  was  not  many  months 
after  released,  with  a  request  from  Lord  Shelburne  that 
he  would  pass  to  the  continent,  and  assist  in  negotiating  a 
peace  between  Great  Britain,  and  the  free  United  States 
of  America  and  France  their  ally.* 

*  Colonel  Laurens,  his  interesting  son,  having  executed  his  commission  in 
France,  returned  to  resume  his  place  in  the  army.  He  was  killed  in  the 
very  last  days  of  the  war,  in  an  insignificant  skirmish,  just  when  the  liberties 
of  his  country  were  decided. 


PEOPLE  OF  PENNSYLVANIA.  77 

It  is  a  singular,  and  perhaps  a  somewhat  inexplicable 
circumstance,  that  the  state  of  Pennsylvania,  colonized 
by  the  most  peaceable  set  of  men  that  the  earth  could 
well  furnish,  has  been  the  seat  of  more  political  contention 
than  any  other  of  the  Union.  It  is  true,  that  the  primitive 
Society  of  Friends  made,  but  for  a  short  term  of  years,  a 
majority  in  the  province,  yet  the  explanation  of  the  fact 
cannot  well  be  found  in  any  peculiar  turbulence  of  dispo- 
sition in  the  people.  Whether  it  was  that  their  earlier 
legislators  were  less  skilled  in  the  science  of  govern- 
ment than  those  of  the  other  provinces,  or  whether  it 
was  owing  to  accidental  causes  not  now  easy  to  trace, 
we  find  them  disputing  in  the  first  page  of  their  colonial 
history  with  their  governors  and  deputy-governors,  even 
with  their  friend  and  parent  William  Penn  himself.  A 
people  seldom,  perhaps  never,  complain  without  good 
cause,  and  the  candid  mind  of  Penn  seems  to  have  ad- 
mitted this  truth.  He  frequently  new-modelled  the  con- 
stitution which  the  colonists  had  first  received  from  his 
hands,  and  the  alterations  appear  to  have  been  amend- 
ments; but  whenever  he  delegated  the  power  he  had 
preserved  to  himself,  as  proprietor  of  the  infant  province, 
it  appears  to  have  been  abused.  So  true  is  it  that  irre- 
sponsible authority  can  never  be  lodged  in  the  hands  of  any 
individual,  however  good  or  wise,  without  risk  to  the 
peace  of  a  community.  It  is  possible,  indeed,  that  a 
people  may  govern  themselves  ill,  (though  it  is  always 
probable  that  they  will  understand  their  own  interests 
better  than  others  can  for  them,)  but  the  having  them- 
selves to  blame  for  the  misfortunes  that  befall  them,  and 
possessing  the  power  to  work  their  remedy  at  pleasure, 
will  at  least  save  much  public  tumult,  by  shortening  the 
term  of  their  ill  humour.  The  political  disputants,  how- 
ever, until  the  era  of  the  Revolution,  employed  no  keener 
weapons  than  the  tongue  and  the  pen,  and,  with  the  ex- 
ception of  occasional  wrangles  with  a  neighbouring  pro- 


78  POLITICAL  CHARACTER  OF  THE 

vince  touching  the  boundary  line,  in  which  the  proprietors 
were  more  concerned  than  the  people,  their  quarrel 
seems  always  to  have  regarded  the  vital  liberties  of  the 
community. 

I  have  alluded  to  the  political  history  of  this  common- 
wealth, because  there  are  in  it  some  peculiarities.  Its 
people  appear  to  have  been  singularly  jealous  of  their  li- 
berties, and  at  the  same  time  to  have  been  slower  to  dis- 
cover the  best  mode  of  securing  them^  than  those  of  their 
sister  states.  Though  the  intention  of  their  first  legisla- 
tor was  to  "  frame  a  government  for  the  support  of  power, 
that  should  be  in  reverence  with  the  people,  and  to  se- 
cure the  people  from  the  abuse  of  power,"  neither  he  nor 
his  immediate  successors  could  effect  this  most  desirable 
object.  The  convention  called  by  the  people  at  the  time 
of  the  Revolution,  could  not  fail  of  better  success,  since 
there  was  no  longer  any  compromise  to  make  with  the  in- 
terests of  any  one  man,  or  set  of  men,  or  with  the  enact- 
ments of  a  distant  government.  As  the  people  were  now 
their  own  lawgivers,  whatever  they  decreed  amiss  could 
be  forthwith  amended,  and  from  that  time  we  find  no  po- 
litical disputes  in  this  or  the  other  republics,  but  those  of 
a  day. 

Several  of  the  states  have  called  subsequent  conven- 
tions to  amend  the  constitutions  then  adopted,  and  in 
many  these  alterations  have  been  important. 

The  old  thirteen  states,  with  the  exception  of  two,  ac- 
knowledged, in  their  original  constitutions,  two  branches  of 
legislature,  a  house  of  representatives  and  a  senate.  Penn- 
sylvania and  Georgia  decreed  but  one.  It  appeared  to  them 
that,  as  no  distinction  of  ranks  had  existence  in  the  Ameri- 
can commonwealths,  it  would  not  be  easy  to  create  two 
houses  of  representatives  who  should  differ  in  any  thing 
the  one  from  the  other,  and  consequently,  that  they  would 
only  be  parts  of  the  same  body  legislating  in  different 
rooms.  I  have  been  informed  that  Franklin  was  at  first 


PEOPLE  OP  PENNSYLVANIA.  7 

among  the  advisers  of  this  more  simple  mode  of  legisla- 
tion, but  that  he  was,  after  a  short  experiment,  convinced 
that  it  had  its  disadvantages.  The  people  were  convin- 
ced of  the  same,  and,  in  a  few  years,  Pennsylvania  and 
Georgia  adopted  a  senate  in  the  manner  of  their  sister 
states.  Although  the  two  houses  are  chosen  by  the  same 
electors,  and  may  be  thus  said  to  be  the  same  body  divi- 
ded into  two  parts,  yet  as  the  discussions  on  any  bill  take 
place  successively,  more  time  is  allowed  for  deliberation.* 
Experience  has  taught  communities,  that  though,  upon 
some  rare  emergencies,  decision  and  dispatch  may  further 
measures  important  to  the  public  weal,  as  a  general  rule 
it  is  better  to  make  laws  too  slowly  than  too  hastily.  Penn- 
sylvania seems,  indeed,  to  have  been  aware  of  this  ;  and, 
in  order  to  provide  against  any  precipitancy  in  her  legisla- 
tive proceedings,  she  adopted  an  expedient  quite  peculiar 
to  herself,  and  which  was  more  in  the  spirit  of  the  old  de- 
mocracies of  Greece  than  those  of  modern  times.  In 
place  of  a  senate,  she  first  enacted  that  the  opinion  of  the 
people  at  large  should  be  taken  upon  every  question 
brought  forward  by  their  representatives.  To  effect  this, 
every  bill  was  published  after  its  second  reading  in  the 
house,  and  time  allowed  for  the  body  politic  of  the  state 
to  submit  their  opinions  to  their  servants  in  council.  One 
can  hardly  imagine  a  mode  of  legislation  more  trouble- 
some than  this.  It  was,  of  course,  soon  abandoned,  to- 
gether with  a  counsel  of  censors,  whose  duty  it  had  been 
to  sit  in  periodical  judgment  upon  the  whole  government 
of  the  state,  legislative  and  executive,  and  to  report  ac- 
cordingly. After  the  revolution,  the  lapse  of  a  few  years, 
and  the  trial  of  a  few  experiments  calmed  the  spirit  of 
controversy  which  had  so  long  beset  this  people.  Their 

*  An  attempt  is  made  in  some  few  of  the  states  to  constitute  a  difference 
between  the  two  houses,  by  requiring  a  higher  rate  of  property  to  qualify  a 
senator  than  a  representative ;  many  also  require  the  senators  to  be  older 
than  the  members  of  the  other  house 


80  INTERNAL  GOVERNMENT 

rights  being  now  fairly  established  and  guarded  beyond 
the  possibility  of  invasion,  party  animosities  have  subsi- 
ded, and  the  wheel  of  government,  moved  by  the  united 
impetus  of  the  whole  people,  turns  noiseless  and  unimpe- 
ded, watched  by  all,  and  suspected  by  none. 

The  constitutions  of  all  these  different  confederated  re- 
publics differ  in  little  the  one  from  the  other.     The  legis- 
lative power  is  vested  in  a  general  assembly,  consisting 
of  a  senate  and  house  of  representatives  ;*  the  executive 
in  a  governor,  or  in  a  governor  with  the  assistance,  or 
perhaps  it  were  more  correct  to  say,  the  impediment  of  a 
council.     This  impediment,  at  first  adopted  by  all  the 
original  thirteen  states,  has  been  abolished  by  several,  and 
has  not  been  adopted  by  those  which  have  been  subse- 
quently added  to  the  Union.t     A  majority,  however,  of 
the  old  thirteen  states  retain  this  check  upon  the  will  of 
their  chief  magistrate.     Considering  the  short  term  of  his 
authority,  and  the  slender  powers  with  which  he  is  vested, 
many  regard  this  check  as  unnecessaiy,  some  think  it 
mischievous,  as  it  tends  to  retard  the  operations  of  govern- 
ment, while  others  think  it  salutary  on  that  very  account. 
Perhaps  the  truth  is,  that  it  is  very  unimportant.     This 
will  more  clearly  appear,  if  we  consider  the  supreme  au- 
thority of  the  legislative  branch  of  the  government,  which 
is,  in  fact,  the  people  speaking  and  acting  distinctly  and 
definitively  in  the  person  of  their  representatives.     The 
governor  does,  indeed,  possess  a  veto  upon  the  decision 
of  the  two  houses  ;  but  his  veto  is  not  decisive ;  he  must, 
within  a  given  time  return  the  bill,  stating  the  grounds  of 
his  dissent ;  when  the  question  is  debated  anew,  and  two- 
thirds  of  both  houses  are  then  required  to  give  the  effect 
of  a  law ;  but  as  this  majority  can  impart  to  it  that  effect 
without  the  signature  of  the  governor,  it  is,  of  course,  rare- 

*  With  the  single  exception  of  Vermont,  she  has  hitherto  held  to  the  system 
first  adopted  by  Pennsylvania  and  Georgia,  and  legislates  without  a  senate, 
t  Also  with  the  exception  of  Vermont. 


OP  THE  STATES.  81 

ly  refused ;  I  know  not,  indeed,  that  the  case  ever  occurs ; 
it  is  clear  that  it  can  only  occur  where  the  voices  of  the 
legislators  are  pretty  equally  divided,  and,  consequently, 
when  the  wisdom  of  the  proposed  law  may  be  supposed 
to  be  more  than  usually  doubtful.  That  the  door  should 
then  be  left  open  for  its  reconsideration  must  surely  be  ac- 
counted wise ;  and  we  must  farther  suppose  that  the  exe- 
cutive could  never  adopt  the  extraordinary  measure  of 
withholding  its  consent,  but  on  a  question  of  vital  im- 
portance, as  well  as  of  doubtful  merits.  By  the  English 
constitution,  a  veto  is  granted  to  the  monarch,  and  this 
without  a  second  appeal  to  the  legislative  authority.  If 
this  veto  is  never  exerted,  it  is  evidently  because  the  royal 
influence  can  previously  affect  the  legislative  decision, 
and  thus  virtually  speak  the  will  of  the  monarch,  without 
the  too  apparent  and  irritating  opposition  of  his  voice  to 
that  of  the  nation.  Whatever  power  the  executive  here 
possesses,  it  is  direct ;  its  influence  is  nothing ;  it  must 
simply  approve  or  dissent.  The  governor  is  as  powerless 
to  affect  the  voices  of  the  assembly  as  any  other  individual 
in  the  commonwealth ;  they  are  all  powerful  on  the  other 
hand  to  affect  his,  or,  as  we  have  seen,  can  render  it  nu- 
gatory. The  powers  of  the  governor  vary  somewhat  in 
the  different  states ;  and  it  is,  perhaps,  singular,  that  in 
Pennsylvania,  where  there,  has  ever  existed  an  excessive 
jealousy  of  the  executive,  its  powers  are  greater  than  in 
other  states.  The  governor  is  unshackled  by  a  council, 
holds  his  office  for  three  years,  and  is  trusted  with  the  dis- 
posal of  many  public  offices,  which,  according  to  the  con- 
stitution of  most  of  the  other  republics,  are  voted  by  the 
joint  ballot  of  both  houses  of  assembly. 

One  might  amuse  one's  self  by  imagining  that  the  citi- 
zens of  this  state  were  so  constitutionally  disputatious  as 
to  be  unwilling  to  forego  all  opportunity  for  wrangling. 
By  throwing  upon  their  chief  magistrate  the  choice  of 
judges,  mayors,  recorders,  &c.  they  reserve  to  themselves 

13 


82  INTERNAL    GOVERNMENT. 

the  possibility  of  quarrelling  with  him.  This  seems  to  be 
a  fashionable  amusement,  as  it  is  also  in  the  state  of  New- 
York,  where  the  appointment  to  some  of  the  chief  public 
offices  is  also  vested  in  the  governor,  though  with  the  con- 
currence of  a  council.  The  bickering  that  this  gives  rise 
to  in  the  public  prints  may  be  very  entertaining  to  those 
engaged  in  it,  but  lookers-on  may  be  allowed  to  think  it 
very  ridiculous,  and  altogether  unworthy  of  the  dignity  of 
these  two  important  republics. 

All  public  offices,  whether  in  the  disposal  of  the  gover- 
nor or  the  legislature,  or  the  people,  are  held  only  on  good 
behaviour,  and  are,  not  excepting  the  governor,  liable  to 
impeachment  in  the  house  of  assembly.  The  concur- 
rence of  two-thirds  of  the  representatives  is  necessary  to 
pass  sentence,  which  extends  only  to  removal  from  office 
and  disqualification  to  hold  thereafter  "  any  place  of  ho- 
nour, trust,  or  profit,  under  the  state." 

It  is  always  provided,  that  no  person  holding  any  office 
under  the  state,  or  the  United  States,  shall  be  a  mem- 
ber of  either  house  of  assembly ;  a  regulation  of  vital 
importance,  and  without  which  it  is  impossible  to  rely 
upon  the  purity  of  the  representative  system.  The  ser- 
vant of  the  people  must  be  in  the  pay  of  no  other  man,  or 
set  of  men,  or  his  interests  may  be  at  issue  with  his  duty. 
Pluralities,  indeed,  are  prohibited  in  every  branch  of 
American  government,  and  all  the  authorities  under  it. 
This,  of  course,  imparts  to  it  a  vigour  and  clean-handed- 
ness  which  no  other  regulations  could  insure.* 

The  house  of  representatives  may  generally  be  said  to 
be  the  more  popular  branch  of  the  legislature :  its  mem- 

*  A  curious  instance  of  political  vigilance  occurred  lately  in  New- York  : 
A  postmaster  in  that  state  was  removed  from  office,  because  he  was  found  to 
be  a  mail  contractor.  The  postmaster-general  in  Washington,  assigning  as  a 
reason  for  his  dismissal,  that  the  postmaster  was  the  check  over  the  irregu- 
larity of  the  contractor,  and  that,  if  the  same  man  held  both  situations,  no 
security  could  be  considered  as  given  to  the  public  for  the  proper  fulfilment  of 
the  duties  of  either. 


OP  THE  STATES.  83 

bers  are  chosen  annually!,  by  the  whole  free  male  citi- 
zens of  the  state.  This  may  be  said  to  be  the  case 
throughout  the  Union,  except  in  two  or  three  of  the  old 
republics  of  the  south.  The  mode  of  election  employed 
in  the  choice  of  senators  varies  a  little  in  the  different 
states  ;  in  many  the  term  of  service  extends  but  to  one 
year,  in  others  to  three,  four,  or,  as  in  Maryland,  to  five 
years ;  but  we  cannot  exactly  calculate  the  varying  po- 
pularity of  the  senatorial  elections  by  the  greater  or  less 
frequency  of  their  occurrence ;  this  is  effected  by  the 
greater  or  less  extension  of  the  right  of  suffrage  ;  greater 
qualifications  by  some  constitutions  being  required  to  en- 
title a  citizen  to  vote  for  a  senator  than  a  representative ; 
by  others  these  are  declared  to  be  equal,  though  the  pe- 
riod of  election  should  occur  more  frequently  in  the  one 
case  than  the  other.  In  Virginia,  the  governor,  represent- 
atives, and  senators,  are  chosen  annually,  and  yet  her 
constitution  is  the  least  democratic  of  any  state  in  the 
Union.  In  the  eastern,  central,  and  western  states,  all 
the  elections  are  thoroughly  popular.  In  Virginia  and 
the  Carolinas  the  suffrage  needs  farther  extension  before 
they  can  be  said  to  legislate  truly  upon  American  princi- 
ples. 

The  most  admirable  contrivance  in  the  frame  of  these 
governments  is,  the  provision  made  in  all  for  their  altera- 
tion and  amendment.  The  convention  is  at  once  the 
foundation  and  corner-stone  in  the  beautiful  structure  of 
American  government ;  by  its  means  the  constitution  of 
the  state  is  shaped  to  the  wishes  of  the  people  as  easily 
and  silently  as  its  laws ;  it  is  at  once  the  safeguard  of 
the  public  rights,  and  the  keeper  of  the  public  peace.  The 
rights  of  this  community  rest  not  on  charters  or  ancient 
usages,  but  on  immutable  principles,  which  every  head 

t  Excepting  in  South  Carolina,  Tennessee,  and  Illinois,  where  the  elections 
•ccur  every  second  year. 


84  INTERNAL   GOVERNMENT 

and  heart  is  taught  to  understand  and  to  feel.  There  is 
here  no  refining  upon  the  meaning  of  words,  no  opposing 
of  records  to  reason,  no  appealing  from  the  wisdom  of  the 
present  to  that  of  the  past :  the  wisdom  of  to-day  is  often 
the  ignorance  of  to-morrow  ;  what  in  one  age  is  truth,  in 
another  is  prejudice  ;  what  is  humanity  becomes  cruelty  ; 
what  justice,  injustice  ;  what  liberty,  slavery  ;  and  almost 
what  virtue,  wickedness,  and  happiness,  misery.  All 
things  are  by  comparison  ;  the  man  of  this  generation, 
with  views  and  feeling  adapted  to  earlier  ages,  is  cramp- 
ed in  a  sphere  of  action  which  those  before  him  found 
commensurate  to  their  powers  and  their  ambition.  If 
law  oppose  barriers,  his  spirit  is  checked,  but  not  quelled. 
The  flood  of  knowledge  gathers  strength,  and  the  mound 
is  swept  away  with  a  sudden  fury,  which  shakes  the  very 
foundations  of  society,  and  spreads  a  momentary  ruin 
over  the  wide  field  of  civilized  life.  Power  and  liberty, 
existing  in  the  same  state,  must  be  at  eternal  war ;  it  is 
only  where  one  or  other  rules  singly  and  undisputed,  that 
the  public  peace  can  be  preserved  ;  in  the  one  case  by  the 
free  exercise  of  all  the  human  energies,  in  the  other  by 
their  extinction. 

It  has  often  been  asserted  by  the  advocates  of  despot* 
ism,  that  the  elements  of  liberty  are  wild  and  intractable. 
The  position  is  most  true,  where  they  are  found  in  an  at- 
mosphere uncongenial  to  their  nature,  where  they  have  to 
contend  with  other  elements,  with  which  they  can  never 
amalgamate,  and  which  wage  with  them  unceasing  war- 
fare. It  is  common  to  point  our  attention  to  the  repub- 
lics of  ancient  time,  and  to  tell  us  that  free  Rome  was 
split  into  factions  and  civil  wars :  without  enumerating 
the  many  causes  found  in  the  distinction  of  ranks,  the  jea- 
lousy existing  between  the  various  orders  of  society,  the 
powerful  armies  with  their  ambitious  leaders,  which  com- 
bined to  throw  society  into  chaos,  we  have  only  to  refer 
to  the  ignorance  of  the  doctrine  of  representation  :  this 


OP  THE  STATES.  85 

doctrine,  so  simple  when  once  revealed,  forms  the  whole 
science  of  a  free  government ;  this  it  is  which  gives  to  mo- 
dern liberty  a  character  foreign  to  that  which  she  bore  in 
ancient  times;  this  it  is  which  has  made  freedom  and 
peace  shake  hands,  and  which  renders  the  reign  of  the 
one  coeval  with  that  of  the  other. 

The  representative  system,  invented,  or  rather  by  a 
train  of  fortuitous  circumstances  brought  into  practice  in 
England,  has  been  carried  to  perfection  in  America  ;  by 
it  the  body  of  the  people  rule  in  every  thing ;  by  it  they 
establish  their  constitutions  ;  by  it  they  legislate  according 
to  the  constitutions  established;  and  by  it  again  they 
amend  their  constitutions,  according  to  the  gradual  ad- 
vance of  the  public  mind  in  political  wisdom.  Thus, 
though  the  form  of  government  should  in  some  cases  be 
found  deficient,  yet  as  the  door  is  ever  left  open  to  im- 
provement, in  system  it  may  always  be  pronounced  to  be 
perfect.  "  Quelle  republiche  che,  se  le  non  hanno  1'ordine 
perfetto  hanno  preso  il  principio  buono  e  atto  a  diventaro 
migliore,  possono,  per  la  occorrenza  delli  accidenti  diven- 
tare  perfette."* 

Considering  how  greatly  the  human  mind  is  ennobled  by 
liberty,  and  how  rapidly  it  becomes  humanized  when  the 
book  of  knowledge  is  thrown  open  to  its  inspection,  there 
is  no  calculating  the  progress  of  a  people  in  virtue  as 
well  as  power,  whose  successive  generations  shall  be  bred 
up  under  benign  laws  and  liberal  institutions.  Who  does 
not  sympathize  with  the  playful  wish  of  the  benign  sage 
and  devoted  patriot  Franklin,  who,  when  he  saw  a  little 
fly  escape  from  a  bottle  in  which  it  had  been  imprisoned, 
exclaimed,  "  I  wish  I  could  be  corked  up  as  you  have  been, 
and  let  out  a  hundred  years  hence,  just  to  see  how  my  dear 
America  is  going  on  /" 

*  Machiavelli  sopra  la  prima  Deca  di  Tito  Livio. 


LETTER  VII. 


SOCIETY   OF   PHILADELPHIA. ANECDOTE   OF   A    PRUSSIAN 

OFFICER. ANECDOTE     OF     MR.     JEFFERSON. CHEVA- 
LIER CORREA  DE  SERRA. MR.  OARNETT. 

Philadelphia,  May,  1819. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

I  MUST  not  leave  this  city  without  observing  somewhat 
more  distinctly  than  I  have  as  yet  done,  upon  the  gene- 
ral character  of  the  society. 

It  is  difficult  to  make  observations  upon  the  inhabitants 
of  a  particular  district  that  shall  not  more  or  less  apply  to 
the  nation  at  large.  This  is  the  case  in  all  countries,  but 
more  particularly  in  these  democracies.  The  universal 
spread  of  useful  and  practical  knowledge,  the  exercise 
of  great  political  rights,  the  ease,  and,  comparatively,  the 
equality  of  condition,  give  to  this  people  a  character  pe- 
culiar to  themselves.  The  man  of  leisure,  who  is  usually 
for  the  most  part  the  man  of  pleasure,  may,  indeed,  find 
himself  somewhat  alone  in  this  country.  Every  hand  is 
occupied,  and  every  head  is  thinking,  not  only  of  the  active 
business  of  human  life,  (which  usually  sits  lighter  upon 
this  people  than  many  others,)  but  of  matters  touching  the 
general  weal  of  a  vast  empire.  Each  man  being  one  of 
a  sovereign  people,  is  not  only  a  politician,  but  a  legisla- 
tor—  a  partner,  in  short,  in  the  grand  concern  of  the 
state :  and  this  not  a  sleeping  partner,  but  one  engaged 


AMERICAN  CHARACTER.  87 

in  narrowly  inspecting  its  operations,  balancing  its  ac- 
counts, guarding  its  authority,  and  judging  of  its  interests. 
A  people  so  engaged,  are  not  those  with  whom  a  lounger 
might  find  it  agreeable  to  associate:  he  seeks  amuse- 
ment, and  he  finds  business ;  careless  wit,  and  he  finds 
sense ;  plain,  strait-forward,  sober  sense.  The  Ameri- 
cans are  very  good  talkers,  and  admirable  listeners  ;  un- 
derstand perfectly  the  exchange  of  knowledge,  for  which 
they  employ  conversation,  and  employ  it  solely.  They 
have  a  surprising  stock  of  information,  but  this  runs  little 
into  the  precincts  of  imagination ;  facts  form  the  ground- 
work of  their  discourse.  They  are  accustomed  to  rest 
their  opinions  on  the  results  of  experience,  rather  than  on 
ingenious  theories  and  abstract  reasonings ;  and  are  al- 
ways wont  to  overturn  the  one,  by  a  simple  appeal  to  the 
other.  They  have  much  general  knowledge,  but  are  best 
read  in  philosophy,  history,  political  economy,  and  the 
general  science  of  government.  The  world,  however, 
is  the  book  which  they  consider  most  attentively,  and 
make  a  general  practice  of  turning  over  the  page  of  every 
man's  mind  that  comes  across  them ;  they  do  this  very 
quietly,  and  very  civilly,  and  with  the  understanding  that 
you  are  at  perfect  liberty  to  do  the  same  by  theirs.  They 
are  entirely  without  mauvaise  honte,  and  are  equally  free 
from  effrontery  and.  ofnciousness.  The  constant  exercise 
of  the  reasoning  powers  gives  to  their  character  and  man- 
ners a  mildness,  plainness,  and  unchanging  suavity,  such 
as  are  often  remarked  in  Europe  in  men  devoted  to  the 
abstract  sciences.  Wonderfully  patient  and  candid  in 
argument,  close  reasoners,  acute  observers,  and  original 
thinkers.  They  understand  little  the  play  of  words,  or, 
as  the  French  more  distinctly  express  it,  badinage. 
When  an  American,  indeed,  is  pressed  into  this  by  some 
more  trifling  European,  or  by  some  lively  woman  of  his 
own  nation,  I  have  sometimes  thought  of  a  quaker  striking 
into  a  Highland  reel.  This  people  have  nothing  of  the 


88  AMERICAN  CHARACTER. 

poet  in  them,  nor  of  the  bd  esprit,  and  I  think  are  apt  to 
be  tiresome,  if  they  attempt  to  be  either.  It  is  but  fair, 
however,  to  observe,  that  they  very  seldom  do  attempt 
this,  at  least  after  they  are  five-and-twenty.  On  the  other 
hand,  they  are  well-informed  and  liberal  philosophers, 
who  can  give  you,  in  half  an  hour,  more  solid  instruction 
and  enlightened  views,  than  you  could  receive  from  the 
first  corps  literaire  or  diplomatique  of  Europe  by  listening 
to  them  for  a  whole  evening.  It  is  said  that  every  man 
has  his  forte,  and  so,  perhaps,  has  every  nation  ;  that  of 
the  American  is  clearly  good  sense :  this  sterling  quality 
is  the  current  coin  of  the  country,  and  it  is  curious  to  see 
how  immediately  it  tries  the  metal  of  other  minds.  In 
truth,  I  know  no  people  who  sooner  make  you  sensible 
of  your  own  ignorance.  In  conversing  even  with  a  plain 
farmer,  it  has  seemed  to  me,  that  I  had  been  nothing  but 
a  foolish  trifler  all  my  life,  running  after  painted  butterflies, 
while  he,  like  the  ant,  had  been  laying  up  winter  stores  of 
solid  mental  food,  useful  at  all  times,  and  in  all  exi- 
gencies. 

I  must  also  remark  of  this  people,  that  they  possess  an 
uninterrupted  cheerfulness  of  mind,  and  an  imperturbable 
evenness  of  temper,  and,  moreover,  a  great  share  of  dry 
humour,  which  is  the  weapon  they  usually  employ  when 
assailed  by  impertinence  or  troublesome  folly  of  any  kind. 
I  have  witnessed  many  amusing  instances  of  this ;  and 
you  will  find  some  true  specimens  in  the  writings  of 
Franklin,  whose  humour  was  truly  of  native  growth. 

A  story  occurs  to  me  at  this  moment,  which,  though  it 
perhaps  owed  something  to  the  manner  in  which  I  heard 
it,  may  at  least  serve  as  an  example  of  the  national  trait 
to  which  I  have  here  alluded.  A  Prussian  officer,  who 
some  while  since  landed  in  New- York,  in  his  way  to  Ve- 
nezuela, having  taken  up  his  lodgings  at  a  hotel  in  Broad- 
way, found  himself  in  company  with  two  British  officers, 
and  an  American  gentleman,  who  was  quietly  seated  in 


ANECDOTES.  89 

the  recess  of  a  window,  reading  the  Washington  Gazette. 
The  Prussian  understood  not  a  word  of  English,  but  ob- 
served that  the  two  foreigners,  in  conversing  with  each 
other,  eternally  used  the  word  Yankee.  As  they  leaned 
out  of  an  open  window  which  looked  into  Broadway,  he 
heard  them  repeat  it  again  and  again,  and  seemingly  ap- 
ply it  to  every  citizen  that  passed  before  them.  "  Yan- 
,kee  !  Yankee!"  at  length  exclaimed  the  Prussian; 
"  due  veut  dire  ce  Yankee  ?"  and  turned,  wondering,  to 
the  gentleman  who  sat  apparently  inattentive  to  what 
was  passing.  "  Je  vous  dirai,  monsieur,"  said  the  Ame- 
rican, gravely  looking  up  from  his  paper  ;  "  cela  veut  dire, 
un  homme  d'une  sagesse  parfaite,  d'un  talent  extreme, 
jouissant  des  biens  de  la  fortune,  et  de  la  consideration 
publique."  "  En  uri  mot,  un  sage  et  un  homme  distingue." 
"  Precisement."  "  Mais,  monsieur,  que  la  republique  est 
riche  en  sages  et  en  hommes  distingues !"  "  Ces  mes- 
sieurs nous  font  1'honneur  de  le  croire,"  bowing  to  the  of- 
ficers. 

You  may  smile  to  hear  that  the  Prussian  took  the  ex- 
planation in  sober  seriousness,  (though  you  will  readily 
believe  that  our  two  countrymen  were  too  petrified  to  offer 
it  a  contradiction,)  and  failed  not  in  employing  the  word 
to  comment  upon  the  superabundance  of  hommes  distin- 
gues  to  be  found  in  the  city,  as  well  as  upon  the  force  of 
the  language,  which  knew  how  to  convey  so  many  ideas 
in  one  word.  It  was  long  before  I  could  understand  the 
drift  of  the  Prussian's  discourse ;  when  at  length  I  had 
drawn  the  above  story  from  him,  and  that  the  mystery 
stood  explained,  the  joke  seemed  almost  to  good  to  put. 
an  end  to.  As  I  saw,  however,  that  it  was  his  fixed  in- 
tention to  apply  the  word  in  its  new  meaning  to  every 
citizen  to  whom  he  meant  to  do  honour,  and  that,  in  case 
of  an  interview  with  the  President  himself,  he  would  in- 
fallibly, in  some  flourish  of  politeness,,  denominate  him 

14 


90  ANECDOTES. 

Chef  des  Yankees,  I  thought  it  better  to  restore  the  word 
to  its  old  reading.* 

As  I  have  commenced  story-telling,  I  must  subjoin  an 

anecdote  of  Mr. ,  or  as  he  is  more  simply  styled. 

Thomas  Jefferson,  which  I  received  a  few  days  since  from 
a  gentleman  of  this  city,  and  which  struck  me  as  not  on- 
ly characteristic  of  that  philosopher,  but  somewhat  also 
of  this  nation  generally. 

It  was  the  object  of  Mr.  Jefferson  to  preserve,  in  every 
trifle,  that  simplicity  which  he  deemed  the  most  appro- 
priate characteristic  of  a  republic.  At  his  entrance  into 
the  presidency,  he  found  himself  a  little  troubled  with  the 
trifling  etiquette  which  the  foreign  ambassadors,  and  more 
especially  their  ladies,  were  essaying  to  establish  in  his 
own  drawing  room  ;  and,  apprehending  that  the  wives 
and  daughters  of  his  official  brethren  might  catch  the  con- 
tagion, he  let  pass  no  opportunity  of  giving  it  his  discoun- 
tenance. He  wisely  judged,  that  in  this  matter,  as  in 
most  others,  example  was  better  than  precept,  and  set 
about  new-ordering  the  manners  of  the  city,  much  in  the 
manner  that  Franklin  might  have  taken.  Did  he  go  to 
make  a  morning  visit,  he  rode  without  a  servant,  tied  his 
horse  to  the  gate,  and  walked  in  as  plain  Thomas  Jeffer- 
son. Did  all  the  different  legations  come  to  dine  with 
him,  he  received  them  with  indiscriminating  polite- 
ness, and  that  simple  dignity  for  which  he  is  eminently 
distinguished ;  conversing  with  and  welcoming  all,  he 
left  the  company  to  arrange  themselves  at  his  table,  of 

*  Perhaps  the  original  derivation  of  the  word  Yankee  is  not  generally 
known  in  England.  It  is  the  Indian  corruption  of  English,  Yenglees,  Van- 
gles,  Yanklei,  and  finally  Yankee.  In  the  United  States,  the  nick-name  is  on- 
ly jocularly  applied  to  the  citizens  of  New-England,  whose  early  settlers 
were  thus  denominated  by  the  savages.  The  Pennsylvaniaus  are  known 
among  the  Indians  by  the  name  of  Quekels,  being  a  corruption  of  Quakers ; 
the  Virginians  by  that  of  Long  Knives,  I  believe  from  the  bloody  wars  in 
which  they  were  continually  engaged  with  the  first  adventurous  settlers  of 
that  mother  of  the  Union. 


ANECDOTES.  91 

which  he  so  did  the  honours,  as  to  spread  ease  and  cheer- 
fulness around  it,  and  to  make  his  guests  in  good  humour 
with  themselves  and  each  other ;  the  wife  of  the  Spanish 
Minister,  however,  upon  returning  home,  began  to  ponder 
upon  the  events  of  the  evening  :  she  had  been  seated  be- 
low the  lady  of ,  my  informant  forgot  which  am- 
bassador, but  one  whom  she  judged  of  inferior  import- 
ance to  her  liege  lord.  His  most  Catholic  Majesty  had 
been  insulted,  she  declared,  in  her  person  ;  for  was  not 
an  insult  offered  to  the  wife  always  offered  to  the  hus- 
band ;  and  as  in  this  case  an  insult  .offered  to  the  husband 
was  offered  to  the  King  of  Spain  —  Euclid  himself  must 
have  concluded  with  Q.  E.  D.  The  next  morning  the 
Don  could  do  no  less  than  summon  a  council,  consisting 
of  his  most  chosen  friends  among  the  diplomatic  corps. 
The  case  was  stated,  and  their  opinions  severally  taken. 
One  ventured  to  apologize  for  the  President,  on  the  ground 
of  his  ignorance  as  a'  republican  of  the  rules  of  etiquette. 
To  this  it  was  replied,  that  the  dignity  of  his  most  Catho- 
lic Majesty  was  not  to  be  laid  at  the  mercy  of  every  man 
who  might  call  himself  a  republican.  The  lady  particu- 
larly insisted  that  satisfaction  must  be  given.  It  was  sug- 
gested, that  the  best  way  would  be  for  Spain's  representa- 
tive to  go  and  ask  it.  The  divan  broke  up,  and  one  of 
its  members  wrent  to  advise  the  President  of  the  matter  in 
agitation.  Some  hours  after,  Mr.  Jefferson,  while  occu- 
pied in  his  library,  was  informed  that  the  Spanish  minis- 
ter was  in  an  adjoining  appartment;  he  called  imme- 
diately for  his  boots,  and  putting  one  on,  and  holding  the 
other  in  his  hand,  proceeded  to  the  room.  Having  half 
opened  the  door,  he  issued  orders  to  the  servant  behind 
him,  touching  his  horse,  and  then  advancing,  and  drawing 
on  as  he  did  so  his  remaining  boot,  welcomed  his  visitor 
with  his  wonted  amenity.  "  Pray  be  seated  ;  be  seated  : 
no  ceremony  here,  my  good  sir.  Very  glad  to  see  you  ;" 
and  then,  without  regarding  the  disconcerted  air  of  tho 


92  SOCIETY  OF  PHILADELPHIA. 

astonished  representative  of  Spain  and  the  Indies,  enter- 
ed with  his  wonted  ease  into  general  conversation,  oppo- 
sing the  gentleman  to  the  minister,  and  the  unaffected 
majesty  of  the  philosopher  to  the  frozen  haughtiness  of 
the  diplomatist.  The  combat  was  soon  decided.  The 
Spaniard  departed,  and  reported  to  his  lady  and  diploma- 
tic friends  that,  when  they  went  to  the  house  of  the  Ame- 
rican President,  they  must  leave  the  dignity  of  their  mas- 
ters at  home. 

I  have  already  observed  upon  the  quietism  still  discerni- 
ble in  this  city ;  there  is,  however,  much  gayety  among 
the  young  people,  and  much  social  intercourse  among 
those  of  maturer  age.  Here,  as  elsewhere,  I  observe  a 
distinct  line  drawn  between  the  young  and  the  old  ;  no- 
thing, indeed,  can  be  more  opposite  than  their  characters ; 
the  former  all  life  and  animation,  carolling  like  young  larks 
in  the  spring ;  the  latter  mild,  composed,  and  devoted,  — 
the  women  to  domestic  duties,  and  -the  men  to  affairs  do- 
mestic and  public.  Some  foreigner  has  said,  that  in  Eu- 
rope there  is  pleasure  without  happiness,  and  in  America 
happiness  without  pleasure.  Something  here  is  doubtless 
sacrificed  to  the  point  of  the  sentence ;  I  rather  incline  to 
think,  that  pleasure  is  equally  found  in  the  two  hemi- 
spheres, but  that  in  the  one  she  resides  with  youth,  and  in 
the  other  with  mature  age.  In  France,  for  instance,  a  wo- 
man has  scarcely  an  acknowledged  existence  until  some 
Monsieur  has  placed  a  ring  on  her  ringer ;  here,  with  her, 
the  joy  of  life  is  in  its  spring.  Truly  it  is  a  pretty  sight  to 
see  these  laughing  creatures  moving  and  speaking  with  a 
grace  that  art  never  taught,  and  might  in  vain  seek  to  imi- 
tate. I  know  not  if  pleasure  be  a  divinity  that  should  be 
greatly  worshipped ;  perhaps  her  spirit  intoxicates  for  a 
moment  to  leave  the  mind  vacant  afterwards,  and  the  le- 
gislator might  do  wisely  who  should  leave  her  out  of  the 
national  pantheon  ;  but  if  the  goddess  is  to  be  sought  at 
all,  it  seems  more  in  the  order  of  nature  that  it  should  be 


SOCIETY  OF  PHILADELPHIA.  93 

when  youth  and  health  are  mantling  on  the  cheek ;  frolic 
may  then  find  excuse  in  the  quick  blood,  and  Heraclitus 
himself  be  won  to  laugh  at  it  with  good  humour.  The 
thoughtless  girl  throws  away  precious  moments,  but  the 
thoughtless  woman  neglects  important  duties ;  and  she  too 
pursues  only  the  shadow  of  a  shade  ;  witness  the  faded 
cheeks  and  jaded  spirits  of  a  London  female  rake  of  thirty 
or  forty.  The  American  girl,  evanescent  as  her  joy  may 
be,  yet  finds  joy,  pure  and  heart-felt,  which  older  wisdom 
might  almost  envy. 

"  Bless'd  hour  of  childhood  !  then,  and  then  alone, 
Dance  we  the  revels  close  round  Pleasure's  throne, 
Quaff  the  bright  nectar  from  her  fountain  springs, 
And  laugh  beneath  the  rainbow  of  her  wings, 
Oh  !  time  of  promise,  hope  and  innocence, 
Of  trust,  and  love,  and  happy  ignorance  ! 
Whose  every  dream  is  Heaven,  in  whose  fair  joy 
Experience  yet  has  thrown  no  black  alloy  ; 
Whose  pain,  when  fiercest,  lacks  the  venom'd  pang 
Which  to  maturer  ill  doth  oft  belong, 
When  mute  and  cold,  we  weep  departed  bliss, 
And  Hope  expires  on  broken  Happiness." 

Thoughts  of  a  Recluse. 

This  last  catastrophe,  however,  seems  seldom  to  hap- 
pen here  -,  love  at  an  early  age  gives  place  to  domestic 
affection,  and  pleasure  to  domestic  comfort ;  the  sober  hap- 
piness of  married  life  is  here  found  in  perfection.  Let  the 
idler  smile  at  this ;  it  is  assuredly  the  best  of  heaven's 
gifts  to  man. 

But  talking  of  youth  and  youth's  folly,  I  must  not  forget 
to  report  to  you  a  sight,  which  I  doubt  if  you  will  believe 
I  saw ;  I  did,  however,  and  that  in  broad  daylight,  and  in 
Chesnut-street,  Philadelphia.  This  is  the  fashionable  pro- 
menade, as  Broadway  is  in  New- York  ;  and  the  figures 
are  equally  gay  and  elegant  in  both.  Walking  one  morn- 
ing with  a  friend,  a  knot  of  young  men  approached,  whose 
air  and  dress  were  so  strangely  foreign  to  those  of  the  ci- 


1)4          CHEVALIER  CORREA  DE  SERRA. 

tizens  of  the  country,  that  I  at  first  doubted,  if  I  was  not 
transported  by  some  fairy's  incantation  into  New  Bond- 
street  or  the  boulevards.  No  lounger  there,  no  gay  Pa- 
risian beau,  fresh  from  the  fencing  master,  could  have 
worn  waists  more  slender,  or  looked  more  like  fashion's 
non-descripts.  "  Who  are  those  foreigners  ?"  I  asked. 
"  They  are  natives,"  replied  my  companion  laughing ; 
"  but  the  fools  are  rare ;  and  I  hope,  for  the  sake  of  the 
character  of  our  city,  will  remain  so." 

There  are  here  some  circles  of  very  choice  society. 
There  is  one  lady  particularly  who  appears  to  assemble 
all  the  talent  of  the  city  in  her  drawing-room ;  and  of  this, 
by-the-bye,  no  inconsiderable  portion  is  in  herself.  I  have 
seldom  met  a  lady  who  possessed  more  high  gifts,  or  em- 
ployed them  more  unostentatiously ;  and  yet,  while  the 
life  of  the  evening  circle,  her  mornings  are  exclusively  de- 
voted to  the  education  of  a  numerous  family,  who  cannot 
fail  to  grow  up  under  such  tuition  worthy  of  their  country 
and  their  name. 

We  met  yesterday  at  her  house  a  character  well  known 
and  liighly  respected  throughout  this  country  ;  the  Portu- 
guese minister,  Correa  de  Serra.  Mr.  Brackenridge  of 
Baltimore,  in  dedicating  to  him  his  little  work  on  Louisi- 
ana, has  pronounced  him  to  be  "  one  of  the  most  enlighten- 
ed foreigners  that  has  ever  visited  the  United  States." 
The  observations  with  which  he  follows  up  this  compli- 
ment are  so  similar  to  what  I  have  universally  heard  ap- 
plied to  this  amiable  philosopher  by  the  citizens  of  this 
country,  that  I  am  tempted  to  quote  them.  "  Your  amiable 
simplicity  of  manners  restores  to  us  our  Franklin.  In  every 
part  of  our  country  which  you  have  visited,  (and  you  have 
nearly  seen  it  all,)  your  society  has  been  as  acceptable  to 
the  unlettered  farmer  as  to  the  learned  philosopher.  The 
liberal  and  friendly  manner  in  which  you  are  accustomed 
to  view  every  thing  in  these  states,  the  partiality  which 
you  feel  for  their  welfare,  the  profound  maxims  upon  eve- 


CHEVALIER  CORREA  DE  SERRA.          9i* 

ry  subject  which,  like  the  disciples  of  Socrates,  we  trea- 
sure up  from  your  lips,  entitle  us  to  claim  you  as  one  of 
the  fathers  of  our  country."  After  such  testimonies  from 
those  who  can  boast  an  intimate  personal  acquaintance 
with  this  distinguished  European,  the  observations  of  a 
stranger  were  a  very  impertinent  addition.  I  can  only  say, 
that  as  a  stranger,  I  was  much  struck  by  the  unpretending 
simplicity  and  modesty  of  one  to  whom  unvarying  report 
ascribes  so  many  high  gifts,  vast  acquirements,  and  pro- 
found sciences.  The  kindness  with  which  he  spoke  of 
this  nation,  the  admiration  that  he  expressed  of  its  cha- 
racter, and  of  those  institutions  which  he  observed  had 
formed  that  character,  and  were  still  forming  it,  inspired 
me,  in  a  short  conversation,  with  an  equal  admiration  of 
the  enlightened  foreigner  who  felt  so  generously.  As  he 
walked  home  with  me  from  the  party,  (for  your  character 
is  not  here  fastened  to  a  coach,  as  Brydone  found  his  was 
in  Sicily.)  I  chanced  to  observe  upon  the  brilliancy  of  the 
skies,  which,  I  said,  as  a  native  of  a  moist  and  northern 
climate,  had  not  yet  lost  to  me  the  charm  of  novelty. 
He  mildly  replied,  "  And  on  what  country  should  the  sun 
and  stars  shine  brightly,  if  not  on  this  ?  Light  is  every 
where,  and  is  each  day  growing  brighter  and  spreading 
farther."  "  Are  you  not  afraid,"  I  asked,  encouraged  by 
the  suavity  of  the  venerable  sage  to  forget  the  vast  dis- 
tance between  his  mind  and  years  and  my  own,  "  Are 
you  not  afraid,  as  the  representative  of  royalty,  of  loving 
these  republics  too  well  ?"  He  retorted  playfully.  "  As 
the  courtly  Melville  adjudged  Elizabeth  the  fairest  wo- 
man in  England,  and  Mary  the  fairest  in  Scotland,  so  I 
deem  this  the  fairest  republic,  and  Portugal,  of  course,  the 
fairest  monarchy."  It  was  impossible  to  hold  an  hour's 
conversation  with  this  philosopher,  and  not  revert  to  the 
condition  and  future  prospects  of  the  country  which  gave 
him  birth.  When  I  pondered  on  these,  it  was  with  pain 
that  I  marked  the  furrows  on  his  brow.  Has  such  a  man 


90  MR.    GARXETT. 

been  born  in  vain  for  his  country  ?  Is  he  there  too  far  be- 
fore his  generation,  and  must  he  sleep  with  his  fathers, 
before  the  light  which  has  btfrst  in  full  effulgence  upon 
his  mind,  shall  gleam  one  faint  ray  upon  those  of  his  coun- 
trymen.* 

It  is  surely  a  proud  reflection  for  this  people,  that,  in 
the  very  infancy  of  their  existence  as  a  nation,  they  should 
attract  the  attention  of  foreign  statesmen  and  sages,  and 
that  their  country  should  not  only  be  the  refuge  of  the 
persecuted,  but  often  freely  chosen  as  the  abode  of  the 
philosopher.  America  need  not  complain  ;  if  she  is  con- 
demned by  the  ignorant  and  the  prejudiced,  she  is  ap- 
plauded by  those  whose  applause  is  honour ;  by  those  too 
who  have  closely  considered  her  character,  and  whose 
matured  and  candid  judgment  enables  them  to  decide  up- 
on its  merits.  A  people  who  have  the  voices  of  a  Correa, 
a  Bernard,  and  a  Garnett,  may  laugh  in  good  humour  at 
an  Ashe  or  a  Fearon. 

The  name  of  Garnett  has  often  appeared  in  my  letters. 
I  hesitate  to  depict  a  character  which  would  defy  an 
abler  hand  than  mine  ;  those  who  have  seen  the  original, 
would  find  any  transcript  of  it  an  unmeaning  daub ;  those 
who  have  seen  it  not,  would  deem  that  the  painter  drew 
from  an  over- wrought  imagination.  I  may  have  already 
mentioned,  that  he  was  a  native  of  England,  and  known 
in  early  life  in  that  country,  as  he  has  since  been  known  in 
this,  for  every  gift  and  every  acquirement  that  can  ennoble 
or  adorn  the  human  mind.  To  the  world  he  is  best  known 
as  a  man  of  science ;  but  the  more  deep  researches  which 
have  engrossed  him  as  a  mathematician,  astronomer, 

*  When,  after  my  return  to  Europe,  the  tidings  of  the  Revolution  in  Portu- 
gal first  reached  me,  my  thoughts  reverted  to  the  Chevalier  Correa.  Should 
these  insignificant  pages  ever  accidentally  attract  his  eye,  he  will  never  recall, 
that  he  once  deigned  to  throw  away  an  idle  hour  in  conversing  with  their  wri- 
ter ;  but  she  is  proud  to  remember  it ;  nor  was  it  without  deep  emotion,  that 
at  one  moment  she  pictured  the  thoughts  and  feelings  of  that  benevolent  and 
enlightened  friend  of  human  kind. 


MR.  GARNETT.  97 

and  mechanic,  form  but  a  fraction  in  the  sum  of  his  rich 
and  varied  knowledge.     It  were  idle  to  recount  the  men- 
tal powers  and  accomplishments  of  this  venerable  sage  ; 
the  difficulty  would  be  to  imagine  one  that  he  does  not 
possess.     Never  was  a  mind  more  rich  in  treasures; 
never  a  heart  more  overflowing  with  benevolence  ;  never 
a  soul  more  ardent  in  the  love  of  liberty,  and  of  all  that  is 
great  and  excellent.     Were  it  possible  to  enumerate  the 
noble  endowments  of  this  philosopher,  there  would  still 
be  that  in  his  manners  and  appearance  which  would 
mock  description  ;  a  simplicity,  and  withal,  a  winning 
grace,  that  charms  alike   childhood,    youth,   and   age  ; 
which  makes  ignorance  at  ease  in  his  presence,  and  gives 
him  the  air  of  a  disciple,  while  uttering  the  wrords  of  wis- 
dom.    The  countenance  whose  beauty  in  its  younger 
days  fixed  the  eyes  of  Lavater,  and  was  the  image  from 
which  he  drew  the  portrait  of  benevolence,  might  yet  pic- 
ture the  same  virtue  to  the  same  master.    Never,  indeed, 
were  jewels  shrined  in  a  nobler  casket ;  never  did  good- 
ness beam  more  beautifully  from  the  eye,  or  thought  sit 
in  more  majesty  on  the  forehead ;  never  did  wisdom 
breathe  more  mildly  and  playfully  from  the  lips ;  never 
were  such  transcendent  powers  —  such  vast  and  univer- 
sal acquirements  worn  with  such  modesty  and  sweetness. 
How  poor  are  words  to  speak  the  charm  that  hangs  about 
this  son  of  science  and  of  nature  !  To  tell  how  each  ac- 
cent sinks  from  the  ear  upon  the  heart ;  how  his  know- 
ledge instructs,  his  fancy  charms,  his  playful,  sparkling, 
careless  wit  enlivens  !    The  moments  passed  in  his  pre- 
sence are  counted  by  sands  of  gold,  and  are  treasured  up 
in  the  memory  for  the  mind  and  the  heart  to  recur  to, 
whenever  their  better  powers  and  feelings  may  need  re- 
freshing.    Should  the  contemplation  of  human  weakness 
and  wickedness  ever  make  us  call  in  doubt,  for  a  moment, 
the  high  destinies  of  our  nature,  it  is  by  recalling  the 
image  of  such  a  sage  as  this  —  of  such  a  philosopher  of 

15 


98  MR.  GARNET!. 

the  world  and  friend  of  man,  that  our  confidence  m  hu- 
man virtue  may  be  restored,  our  philanthropy  quickened, 
and  every  generous  hope  and  aim  be  revived  and  exerted 
with  new  ardour.* 

*  This  venerable  philosopher  and  philanthropist  is  now  numbered  with 
the  dead  ;  but  eight  and  forty  hours  after  the  writer  of  these  pages  parted 
from  him,  and  almost  before  she  was  out  of  sight  of  the  American  shores,  he 
was  a  corpse.  He  suddenly  fell  asleep,  full  of  years,  and  in  full  possession 
of  all  his  great  powers,  without  a  struggle  or  a  groan,  on  the  night  of  the 
llth  of  May,  1820,  at  his  farm,  in  New-Jersey.  To  have  known  this  amia- 
ble sage,  and  to  have  been  honoured  with  some  share  in  his  esteem,  will 
ever  be  among  the  proudest  recollections  of  my  life,  though  it  is  now  also 
one  of  the  most  painful.  I  beg  to  apologize  to  those  in  either  hemisphere 
who  knew  this  amiable  and  highly  gifted  man,  for  this  poor  tribute  to  his 
memory.  In  no  way  am  I  worthy  to  be  the  recorder  of  his  virtues,  unless 
the  reverence,  and  almost  filial  affection  that  I  bore  to  him,  may  seem  to  af- 
ford me  a  title. 

Lest  I  should  appear,  in  this  instance,  to  have  swerved  from  the  rule 
which  every  writer  of  any  delicacy  will  observe  —  that  of  abstaining  from 
any  remarks,  which  may  tend  to  attract  the  public  attention  to  his  pri- 
vate friends,  1  must  observe,  that  the  distinguished  and  acknowledged  place 
that  Mr.  Garnett  held  in  the  world  of  science,  had  rendered  him,  in  some 
measure,  a  public  character.  He  is  now,  too,  lost  to  that  world  and  to  his 
friends  ;  had  it  not  been  so,  this  humble  testimony  of  one  who  feels  herself 
better  for  having  known  him,  and  which  must  prove  so  insufficient  to  add; 
any  thing  to  his  fame,  would  never  have  appeared  to  pain  his  modesty. 


99 


LETTER  VIIl. 


VISIT  TO  JOSEPH  BUONAPARTE. GENERAL  OBSERVATIONS? 

AMERICAN  COUNTRY-GENTLEMAN. 

Pennsylvania,  June,  1819. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

I  HAVE  not  much  leisure  to  recount  the  particulars  of  our 
peregrinations;  nor  perhaps  would  they  greatly  interest  you. 
In  travelling  I  find  it  convenient  to  bear  in  mind  that  the 
ground  has  been  trodden  before,  and  that,  in  detailing  the 
appearance  and  population  of  towns  and  districts,  I  should 
only  write  what  others  have  already  written,  to  whose  jour- 
nals, should  you  be  curious  on  these  matters,  you  can  refer. 

It  may  amuse  you  somewhat  more  to  receive  the  ac- 
count of  our  visit  to  Joseph  Buonaparte* 

Some  days  since,  joined  by  the  friends  in  whose  house 
we  are  now  inmates,  we  filled  a  carriage  and  light  wag- 
gon, called  a  Dearborn*,  struck  across  to  the  Delaware, 
and  then  took  boat  to  Bordentown,  on  the  Jersey  shore. 

A  friend  of  our  polite  Philadelphia  acquaintance  — ' — * 

here  joined  our  party,  and  we  walked  forwards  to  the  re- 
sidence of  the  Ex-King.  It  is  a  pretty  villa,  commanding 
a  fine  prospect  of  the  river ;  the  soil  around  it  is  unpro- 
ductive ;  but  a  step  removed  from  the  pine-barren ;  the 
pines,  however,  worthless  as  they  may  be,  clothe  the 
banks  pleasantly  enough,  and,  altogether,  the  place  is 
cheerful  and  pretty.  Entering  upon  the  lawn,  we  found 

*  From  the  American  General  of  that  name ;  to  whom  the  farmer  a«# 
country  gentleman  are  under  infinite  obligations  for  its  invention. 


100  VISIT  TO 

the  choice  shrubs  of  the  American  forest,  magnolias,  kal- 
mias,  &c.  planted  tastefully  under  the  higher  trees  which 
skirted,  and  here  and  there  shadowed,  the  green  carpet 
upon  which  the  white  mansion  stood.  Advancing,  we 
were  now  faced  at  all  corners  by  gods  and  goddesses  in 
naked,  —  I  cannot  say  majesty,  for  they  were,  for  the  most 
part,  clumsy  enough.  The  late  General  Moreau,  a  few 
years  since,  according  to  the  strange  revolutions  of  war- 
stricken  Europe,  a  peaceful  resident  in  this  very  neigh- 
bourhood, and  who  recrossed  the  Atlantic  to  seek  his 
death  in  the  same  battle  which  sent  here,  as  an  exile, 
the  brother  of  the  French  Emperor, — this  general  in  the 
same  Parisian  taste,  left  behind  him  a  host  of  Pagan  dei- 
ties of  a  similar  description,  with  a  whole  tribe  of  dogs  and 
lions  to  boot,  some  of  which  J  have  seen  scattered  up  and 
down  through  the  surrounding  farms.  Two  of  these 
dumb  Cerbei  uses  are  sitting  at  this  moment  on  either  side 
of  a  neighbouring  gentleman's  door,  and  the  children  of 
the  family  use  them  as  hobby-horses.  Truly,  the  amuse- 
ment of  the  child  has  often  less  folly  in  it  than  that  of  the 
man  ;  the  child  rides  the  hobby,  while  the  hobby  too  of- 
ten rides  the  man  ;  and  then,  if  ambition  be  the  hobby  he 
chooses,  the  man  rides  down  his  fellow  creatures.  Hap- 
py the  country  where,  without  iron  laws,  all  men  are  a 
check  upon  each  other !  I  thought  this  when  I  entered 
the  house  of  the  brother  of  Napoleon. 

Until  the  entrance  of  the  count,  who  was  superintending 
the  additions  yet  making  to  the  house,  we  employed  our- 
selves in  considering  the  paintings  and  Canovas,  of  which 
last  we  found  a  small  but  interesting  collection.  It  con- 
sists chiefly  of  busts  of  the  different  members  of  the  Buo- 
naparte family.  The  similar  and  classic  outline  prevail- 
ing in  all  is  striking,  and  has  truly  something  imperial  in 
it.  As  these  were  the  first  works  of  this  Italian  Phidias 
that  I  had  met  with,  I  regarded  them  with  much  curiosity. 
There  are  two  small  pieces  of  most  exquisite  workman-^ 


JOSEPH  BUONAPARTE.  101 

ship  —  a  naked  infant,  (the  little  King  of  Rome?)  lying  on 
a  cushion,  which  yields  to  the  pressure  of  one  of  the  feet 
with  a  truth  that  mocks  the  marble.  I  remember  a  child 
in  the  same  attitude  in  a  much  prized  Rubens,  from  which 
my  first  thought  was  that  the  sculptor  had  caught  his  idea ; 
but,  studying  the  same  nature,  genius  is  often  original 
when  vulgar  criticism  suspects  the  contrary ;  the  same 
thought  has  been  elicited  from  minds  that  never  had  com- 
munication, and  this  not  once,  but  repeated  times.  There 
was  another  yet  more  lovely  figure  of  a  girl  caressing  a 
greyhound.  What  softness  and  delicacy  wrought  out  of 
such  rude  materials  !  It  is  presumptuous  for  one  so  little 
skilled  to  venture  upon  the  remark,  yet  I  have  always  felt 
my  eye  offended  by  the  too  glaring  whiteness  of  modern 
sculpture ;  perhaps  the  mellowing  hand  of  time  is  as  ne- 
cessary for  the  marble  as  the  canvass.  Turning  to  look 
at  David's  portrait  of  Napoleon  crossing  the  Alps,  I  was 
greatly  disappointed  with  the  expression  of  the  young 
soldier  •,  the  horse  has  far  more  spirit  than  the  rider,  who 
sits  carelessly  on  his  steed,  a  handsome  beardless  boy, 
pointing  his  legions  up  the  beetling  crags  as  though  they 
were  some  easy  steps  into  a  drawing  room.  Such,  at 
least,  was  my  impression.  Count  Survillier  (he  wears  this 
title,  perhaps,  to  save  the  awkwardness  of  Mr.  Buona- 
parte) soon  came  to  us  from  his  workmen,  in  an  old  coat, 
from  which  he  had  barely  shaken  off  the  mortar,  and,  — 
a  sign  of  the  true  gentleman,  —  made  no  apologies.  His 
air,  figure,  and  address,  have  the  character  of  the  English 
country  gentleman  —  open,  unaffected,  and  independent, 
but  perhaps  combining  more  mildness  and  suavity. 
Were  it  not  that  his  figure  is  too  thick-set,  I  should  per- 
haps say,  that  he  had  still  more  the  character  of  an  Ame- 
rican, in  whom,  I  think,  the  last  enumerated  qualities  of 
mildness  and  suavity  are  oftener  found  than  in  our  coun- 
trymen. His  face  is  fine,  and  bears  so  close  a  resem- 
blance to  that  of  his  more  distinguished  brother,  that  it 


102  V1.SJT  TO 

was  difficult  at  the  first  glance  to  decide  which  of  the 
busts  in  the  apartment  were  of  him,  and  which  of  Napo- 
leon. The  expression  of  the  one,  however,  is  much  mon 
benignant ;  it  is  indeed  exceedingly  pleasing,  and  prepare? 
you  for  the  amiable  sentiments  which  appear  in  his  dis- 
course. The  plainness  and  urbanity  of  his  manners  for 
the  first  few  moments  suspended  pleasure  in  surprise  ;  and 
even  afterwards,  when,  smiling  at  myself,  I  thought,  And 
what  did  I  expect  to  see  ?  I  could  not  still  help,  ever  and 
anon,  acknowledging  that  I  had  not  looked  to  see  exactly 
the  man  I  saw.  I  felt  most  strangely  the  contrast  be- 
tween the  thoughts  that  were  fast  travelling  through  my 
brain,  of  battles  and  chances,  ambition  and  intrigues, 
crowns  and  sceptres,  —  the  whole  great  drama  of  the 
brother's  life  passing  before  me,  —  I  felt  most  strangely 
the  contrast  between  these  thoughts  and  the  man  I  was 
conversing  with.  He  discoursed  easily  on  various  to- 
pics, but  always  with  much  quietness  and  modesty. 
He  did  and  said  little  in  the  French  manner,  though 
he  always  spoke  the  language,  understanding  English, 
he  said,  but  imperfectly,  and  not  speaking  it  at  all.  He 
expressed  a  curiosity  to  become  acquainted  with  our  liv- 
ing poets ;  but  complained  that  he  found  them  difficult, 
and  inquired  if  there  was  not  often  a  greater  obscurity 
of  style  than  in  that  of  our  older  authors:  I  found  he 
meant  those  of  Queen  Anne's  reign.  In  speaking  of  the 
members  of  his  family,  he  carefully  avoided  titles ;  it 
was  mon  frere  Napoleon,  ma  s&ur  Hortcjise,  &LC.  He 
walked  us  round  his  improvements  in-doors  and  out. 
When  I  observed  upon  the  amusement  he  seemed  to  find 
in  beautifying  his  little  villa,  he  replied,  that  he  was  hap- 
pier in  it  than  he  had  ever  found  himself  in  more  bustling 
scenes.  He  gathered  a  wild  flower,  and,  in  presenting  it 
to  me,  carelessly  drew  a  comparison  between  its  minute 
beauties  and  the  pleasures  of  private  life ;  contrasting 
those  of  ambition  and  power  with  the  more  gaudy  flowers 


JOSEPH  BUONAPARTE.  103 

of  the  parterre,  which  look  better  at  a  distance  than  upon 
a  nearer  approach.  He  said  this  so  naturally,  with  a 
manner  so  simple,  and  accent  so  mild,  that  it  was  impos- 
sible to  see  in  it  attempt  at  display  of  any  kind.  Under- 
standing that  I  was  a  foreigner,  he  hoped  that  I  was  as 
much  pleased  with  the  country  as  he  was ;  observed  that 
it  was  a  country  for  the  many,  and  not  for  the  few  ;  which 
gave  freedom  to  all  and  power  to  none,  in  which  happi- 
ness might  better  be  found  than  any  other,  and  in  which 
he  was  well  pleased  that  his  lot  was  now  cast. 

The  character  of  this  exile  seems  to  be  much  marked 
for  humanity  and  benevolence.  He  is  peculiarly  atten- 
tive to  sufferers  of  his  own  nation  —  I  mean  of  France ; 
is  careful  to  provide  work  for  the  poorer  emigrants  ;  and 
to  others,  affords  lodging,  and  often  money  to  a  conside- 
rable amount.  His  kindness  has,  of  course,  been  im- 
posed upon,  in  some  cases  so  flagrantly  that  he  is  now 
learning  circumspection,  though  he  does  not  suffer  his  hu- 
manity to  be  chilled.  This  I  learned  from  his  American 
neighbours.  I  left  Count  Survillier,  satisfied  that  nature 
had  formed  him  for  the  character  he  now  wears,  and  that 
fortune  had  rather  spited  him  in  making  him  the  brother 
of  the  ambitious  Napoleon. 

In  reviewing  the  singular  destinies  of  this  family,  there 
is  one  acknowledgement  that  is  forced  from  our  candour ; 
it  is  that,  considering  the  power  that  circumstance  threw 
into  their  hands,  they  wrested  it  to  less  monstrous  pur- 
poses than  has  often  been  done  by  similarly  spoiled  chil- 
dren of  fortune.  We  may  indeed  exclaim,  in  consider- 
ing the  mad  career  of  Europe's  conqueror, 

"  Ah  !  how  did'st  thou  o'crleap  the  goal  of  Fame  ! 
Had'st  thou  but  propp'd  expiring  Freedom's  head, 
And  to  her  feet  again  the  nations  led ; 
Had'st  thou,  in  lieu  of  War's  blood-dropping  sword, 
Seiz'd  her  white  wand,  and  given  forth  her  word ; 
Bid  the  mad  tumult  of  the  nations  cease, 
And  loud  from  realm  to  realm  cried  Liberty  and  Peace .'" 

Thoughts  of  a  Recluse. 

' 


104  FAMILY  OF  BUONAPARTE. 

But  it  is  easier  to  be  a  philosopher  in  the  closet  than  in 
the  tented  field ;  and,  in  reality,  the  real  philosopher 
shrinks  even  from  the  trial  of  his  virtue.  Had  Napoleon 
been  such,  the  destinies  of  Europe  would  never  have  been 
laid  at  his  mercy.  As  a  soldier  of  fortune,  he  fought  his 
way  to  distinction.  That  the  young  ambition  which  first 
fixed  on  him  the  eyes  of  men,  should  have  died  at  the 
most  brilliant  moment  of  his  career,  had  been  little  less 
than  miraculous  ;  as  it  was,  all  was  in  the  common  order 
of  vulgar  humanity ;  he  dared  all  tilings  for  a  throne  ;  he 
gained  it,  and  then  dared  all  things  to  throw  splendour 
around  it.  It  was  false  splendour,  you  will  say.  True ; 
but  it  was  false  glory  that  allured  him  to  the  throne.  The 
mind  that  coveted  the  one  must  necessarily  have  desired 
the  other.  Instead  of  quarreling  with  successful  ambi- 
tion, it  might  be  more  rational,  as  well  as  more  useful,  to 
upbraid  the  nations  that  stoop  to  its  insolence.  If  despots 
sometimes  make  slaves,  it  is  no  less  true  that  slaves  make 
despots ;  if  men  value  not  their  own  liberties,  are  they 
to  expect  that  others  will  for  them  ?  they  may  find  those 
that  will  fight  their  battles,  but  not  those  that  will  guard 
their  rights.  Heroes  are  more  rare  than  warriors ;  thou- 
sands are  born  who  can  master  others,  but  scarce  one  in 
a  generation  who  can  master  himself.  The  fallen  tyrant 
has  been  a  good  schoolmaster  to  the  nations  of  Europe ; 
may  they  profit  by  the  lesson. 

You  will,  perhaps,  at  first  be  scarcely  disposed  to  ad- 
mit the  surmise,  that  it  is  easier  to  speculate  upon  the  fu- 
ture destinies  of  Europe  in  this  hemisphere  than  the  other. 
It  is  not  only  that  vehement  jealousies  and  vacillating  par- 
ties distract  the  attention  of  the  more  near  observer,  and 
prevent  him  from  calmly  considering  the  ultimate  tendency 
of  those  great  principles  which,  though  now  more  or  less 
every  where  acknowledged,  are  found  to  clash  with  the 
prevalent  interests  of  the  moment ;  it  is  not  only  that  the 
noise  of  the  combatants  is  lost  in  the  distance,  whilst  the 


GENERAL  OBSERVATIONS.  105 

petty  actors  in  the  shifting  scene  dwindle  into  air,  leaving 
only  apparent  the  colossal  stage  itself,  and  the  general 
purport  of  the  great  drama  which  it  exhibits  ;  it  is  not  only 
this,  but  that  the  various  revolutions  which  have  con- 
vulsed the  European  continent,  have  thrown  into  Ame- 
rica a  motley  crowd  of  statesmen,  soldiers,  and  politicians, 
who  can  here  repeat  the  result  of  their  experience  without 
risk,  and  consequently  without  reserve.  This  continent 
seems  at  present  to  be  the  great  side-scene  into  which  the 
chief  actors  of  Europe  make  their  exits,  and  from  which, 
in  the  revolutions  of  human  destiny,  they  may  perhaps 
again  be  called  to  make  their  entrances. 

It  was  observed,  I  think  in  the  English  House  of  Com- 
mons, by  a  generous  opposer  of  the  Alien  Act,  that  the 
present  league  subsisting  between  the  great  European 
potentates,  had  realized  the  appalling  picture  drawn  by 
the  masterly  pen  of  Gibbon,  when  the  proscribed  sought 
to  fly  the  power  of  Rome,  and  found  her  every  where. 
The  parallel,  however,  is  not  perfect ;  since  there  are  now 
two  hemispheres,  while  formerly  there  was  but  one.  Be- 
yond the  waters  of  the  Atlantic,  the  proscribed  of  eveiy 
nation,  whatever  be  their  merits  or  demerits,  now  find  a 
leuce,  wherein,  though  they  should  bring  that  with  them 
which  may  poison  happiness,  they  may  at  least  enjoy  se- 
curity. Perhaps  I  am  sanguine  ;  but  judging  from  the 
sentiments  of  the  foreigners  with  whom  I  have  chanced  to 
engage  in  conversation,  I  feel  disposed  to  augur  well  of 
many  nations  which  are  now  little  considered.  The 
march  of  the  human  mind  is  rapid  as  silent,  and  many 
circumstances  conspire  to  accelerate  its  progress.  The 
very  existence  of  this  country  teaches  volumes ;  even 
those  who  have  never  considered  its  history,  and  who  seek 
it  from  necessity,  merely  as  a  haven  of  rest,  or  as  a  field  of 
mercantile  speculation,  when  they  look  around  them  upon 
a  cheerful,  intelligent,  peaceful,  well-ordered  community, 
are  led  to  examine  the  secret  spring  which  impels  and  re- 

16 


106  GENERAL  OBSERVATIONS. 

gulates  its  political  machinery.  Men  are  here  brought  to 
think  who  never  thought  before,  and  who  then  bear  with 
them  to  distant  climes  the  result  of  their  observations.  A 
spark  dropt  from  the  torch  of  liberty  will  always  spread, 
and  spread  until  it  bursts  into  flame. 

It  is  a  useful  curiosity  which  impels  us  to  engage  in  con- 
versation with  a  foreigner;  however  circumscribed  his 
mind,  however  scanty  his  stock  of  information,  he  is  sure 
to  know  many  things  which  \\c  cannot  know.  It  is 
curious  also  to  hear  his  observations  upon  the  men  and 
things  that  surround  him ;  even  should  he  see  them 
through  the  medium  of  local  or  national  prejudices,  his 
remarks  may  be  at  least  amusing,  if  not  instructive  ; 
though  it  is  probable,  indeed,  that  they  will  be  the  latter 
also  ;  for,  in  detecting  the  prejudices  of  others,  we  are 
often  led  to  detect  our  own.  It  is  always  with  peculiar 
curiosity  that  I  listen  to  the  remarks  of  Europeans  upon 
the  institutions  of  this  country,  and  the  appearance  of  its 
population,  often  so  strangely,  and  sometimes  so  painfully 
contrasted  with  those  of  their  native  soil.  An  Irishman 
exclaims,  "Ah!  it  is  a  fine  country!"  and  sighs  as  he 
thinks  of  liis  own  island.  A  Frenchman  observes,  "  Mais 
comme  tout  va  doucement  et  sagement!"  And  a  Swede, 
whom  I  chanced  to  cross  some  weeks  since,  closed  some 
fervent  ejaculations  with  "  Ah!  we  cannot  conshieve  de 
vantages  of  dish  pecplishes  ;"  or,  as  he  afterwards  more 
intelligibly  expressed  it  in  French,  "  Nous  autres  Euro- 
pee?is  nous  ne  sgaurions  congevoir  le  bonhcur  dc  ce  peuple 
sans  en  etre  temoins." 

I  have  already,  in  a  former  letter,  introduced  you  to  the 
family,  to  whose  kindness  and  hospitality  we  are  here  so 
much  indebted.  I  know  not  that  I  have  as  yet  met  with 
a  more  amiable  specimen  of  the  American  countiy  gen- 
tleman than  we  have  found  in  this  house  ;  his  children 
and  infant  grandchildren  look  up  to  him  with  that  respect 
and  affection  which  ever  bear  the  most  beautiful  testimo- 


AMERICAN  COtJNTRY  GENTLEMAN.  107 

ny  to  a  parent's  character.  In  his  earlier,  I  can  hardly 
say  more  vigorous  years,  he  carries  his  accumulating  lus- 
tres with  so  much  ease  and  dignity,  he  took  a  part  in  po- 
litical life.  On  retiring  from  the  senate,  he  was  employed 
in  diplomacy  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  from  whence 
he  returned  to  pass  the  remainder  of  his  days  on  his  farm 
in  Pennsylvania.  I  should  like  those,  whose  fancy  pic- 
tures to  them  the  American  farmer  as  a  half-civilized  sa- 
vage, to  see  this  veteran's  mild  aspect,  but  unbent  and 
majestic  carriage ;  to  see  him  rendering  attentions  of  the 
kindest  and  most  finished  politeness  to  all  around  him ;  in 
manner  and  sentiment  invariably  the  gentleman,  the  kind 
and  considerate  father,  companion,  and  friend. 


LETTER  IX. 


PASSAGE  UP  THE  RIVER  HUDSON.  ACCOUNT  OF  THE  ACA- 
DEMY AT  WEST  POINT. PASS  OF  THE  HIGHLANDS.  

ARNOLD'S  TREACHERY.  —  ALBANY  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS. 

Albany,  Jul v,  18 1C' 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

-T HE  hasty  letter  I  addressed  to  you  from  Connecticut, 
will  have  explained  to  you  my  unusual  silence,  and  re- 
lieved you  from  any  apprehension  that  it  might  be  occa- 
sioned by  a  broken  neck ;  but  in  truth  you  are  rather  un- 
conscionable in  epistolary  demands.  You  had  no  man- 
ner of  title  to  look  for  a  letter  by  the  Martha,  and  yet  I 
thank  you  that  you  did  look  for  it.  It  tells  me  that  your 
thoughts  are  as  often  on  this  side  the  ocean  as  mine  are  on 
yours. 

We  have  just  made  the  passage  up  the  magnificent 
Hudson  (160  miles)  from  New- York  to  this  city,  which 
has  indeed  but  one,  though  that  no  unimportant  title  to  so 
grand  a  name,  in  being  the  capital  of  the  state.  It  is 
probable,  however,  that  the  government  will  soon  have 
to  travel  in  search  of  the  centre  of  the  republic  in  like 
manner  with  that  of  Pennsylvania.  Albany  indeed  seems 
to  stand  as  in  expectation  of  her  falling  honours,  for 
though  there  are  some  well-finished  streets  and  many 
commodious  and  elegant  private  dwellings,  the  general 
appearance  of  tl  e  town  is  old  and  shabby. 

You  will  not  care  to  trace  with  me  the  beautiful  course 
of  this  river.  The  features  of  nature,  so  unspeakably 


ACADEMY  AT  WEST  POINT.  100 

lovely  to  contemplate,  are  often  tiresome  in  description. 
A  few  observations  upon  the  military  academy  at  West 
Point  will  perhaps  interest  you  more  than  a  sketch  of  the 
rocks  and  woody  precipices  upon  which  it  stands.  This 
interesting  academy,  which  flourishes  under  the  eye  of 
the  Central  Government,  was  established  in  1 802.  Its 
first  organization  was  devolved  by  Congress  upon  the  late 
General  Williams,  whose  talents  and  unremitting  indus- 
try did  honour  to  himself  and  to  his  country  which  em- 
ployed them.  The  average  number  of  youths  educated 
at  West  Point  varies  from  230  to  250 ;  336  dollars  are 
expended  yearly  upon  each  cadet,  and  the  support  of  the 
establishment  is  rated  by  the  government  at  the  sum  of 
1 15,000  dollars  per  annum.  The  branches  of  education 
taught  at  the  academy  are  similar  to  those  taught  at 
Woolwich  and  the  Polytechnic  school  of  Paris.  About 
one  thousand  youths  from  all  the  sections  of  the  Union 
have  here  received  a  liberal  and  scientific  education.  A 
few  of  these  now  fill  respectable  posts  in  the  corps  of  en- 
gineers, artillery,  and  other  branches  of  the  little  army, 
amounting  to  a  few  thousands,  which,  scattered  through 
this  vast  empire,  are  actively  employed  in  the  erection  and 
conservation  of  forts,  the  protection  of  the  Indian  fron- 
tier, drawing  of  boundary  lines,  roads,  &c.  By  far  the 
greater  number,  however,  retire  from  this  little  military 
fortress  to  the  shade  of  private  life,  as  peaceful  cultivators 
of  the  soil,  from  whence  some  have  been  called  by  the 
voices  of  their  fellow  citizens  to  fill  important  civil  offices  ; 
and  all  would  be  found  ready,  at  the  first  call  of  tlie  Re- 
public, to  rush  foremost  for  her  defence. 

It  is  judged  by  this  government,  ever  liberal  in  all  that 
touches  the  real  welfare  and  dignity  of  the  nation,  that 
military  knowledge  can  never  be  idly  bestowed  upon  a 
citizen,  who,  whatever  be  his  condition  or  calling,  must 
always  form  one  of  the  civic  militia  /  and,  looking  to  the 
event,  always  possible,  and  therefore  always  to  be  provi- 


1  1  0  ACADEMY  AT  WEST   POINT. 

(led  against,  of  attack  from  foreign  powers,  it  is  perhaps 
the  wisest  of  all  conceivable  precautions  to  scatter  thus 
the  seeds  of  military  science  among  the  peaceful  popula- 
tion. It  is  true,  that  these  may  never  be  required  to  put 
forth  their  fruits.  These  infant  soldiers  may  live  and  die 
as  peaceful  tillers  of  the  soil ;  but  it  is  well  to  know  that 
the  trump  of  defensive  war  could  summon  skilled  heads 
as  well  as  devoted  hearts  to  the  field.  This  establish- 
ment has  yet  in  it  the  seeds  of  more  good.  These  youths, 
natives  of  different  states,  gathered  from  the  north,  south, 
east,  and  west  of  this  vast  confederacy,  and  here  trained 
together  for  the  defence  of  the  great  whole,  under  the  fos- 
tering and  liberal  care  of  the  government  of  that  whole. 
necessarily  forget  all  those  paltry  jealousies  and  selfish  in- 
terests which  once  went  nigh  to  split  these  great  repub- 
lics, and  to  break  down  the  last  and  noblest  bulwark  of 
freedom  erected  on  this  earth.  Scattered  again  to  the 
four  winds  of  heaven,  these  sons  of  the  republic  bear  with 
them  the  generous  principles  here  imbibed,  to  breathe 
them  perhaps  in  the  senate,  if  not  to  support  them  in  the 
field ;  and  to  hand  them  down  to  future  generations 
through  the  minds  of  their  children.  "  The  most  inte- 
resting and  important  consequences,"  I  quote  the  words 
addressed  to  me  by  an  enlightened  American  officer. 
General  Swift,  to  whom  I  have  often  been  obliged  for 
many  particulars  regarding  the  condition  of  this  country, 
and  to  whose  politeness  I  am  chiefly  indebted  for  my  in- 
formation respecting  this  establishment.  "  The  most  in- 
teresting and  important  consequences  which  I  have  no- 
ticed as  resulting  from  an  education  at  West  Point,  are  a 
zealous  attachment  to  the  political  institutions  of  the  na- 
tion, a  devotion  to  country,  an  ardent  love  of  liberty.'" 
This  last,  indeed,  I  have  observed  in  the  mind  of  an  Ame- 
rican to  be  synonymous  with  the  love  of  the  other  two. 
In  this  country  the  government  is  the  very  palladium  of 
liberty ;  her  throne  is  at  Washington ;  upheld  there  by 


ACADEMY  AT   WEST  POINT.  Ill 

the  united  force  of  the  whole  people,  she  throws  back 
light  and  heat  upon  her  children  and  defenders.  Gene- 
rally speaking,  all  those  connected  with,  or  forming  a  part 
of  the  Central  Government,  engaged  in  its  service,  or  in 
any  manner  placed  under  its  more  immediate  direction 
or  protection,  are  peculiarly  distinguished  for  elevated 
sentiment,  a  high  tone  of  national  feeling,  an  ardent  en- 
thusiasm, not  merely  for  American  liberties,  but  for  the 
liberties  of  mankind. 

The  officers  attached  to  the  establishment  being  distin- 
guished both  as  men  of  science  and  ardent  patriots,  and  com- 
bining also  the  mildness  and  frankness  of  manner  peculiar 
to  the  American  gentleman,  are  well  fitted  to  tutor  the 
opinions  and  feelings  of  youth.  Under  their  tuition  they 
can  acquire  no  sentiments  that  are  not  patriotic  and  ge- 
nerous ;  their  minds  in  early  infancy  imbibe  simple,  but 
sublime  truths,  invigorating  principles,  and  all  the  pride 
and  the  energy  which  go  to  form  free  men.  It  is  fine  to 
see  how  soon  the  boy  learns  within  the  walls  of  this 
academy,  a  knowledge  of  his  own  high  destinies  as  the 
child  of  a  republic.  Our  venerable  friend  *  *  *  *  *  late- 
ly procured  admission  for  his  little  grandson.  "  I  thought 
myself,"  said  he,  "  among  a  crowd  of  young  Spartans, 
and  found  my  own  little  fellow,  after  a  few  weeks,  look- 
ing and  speaking  as  proudly  as  any  one  of  them." 

Among  the  most  promising  scholars,  there  are  at  pre- 
sent two  Indians,  the  sons  of  chiefs.  In  the  second  class, 
at  a  late  examination,  they  carried  away  several  of  the 
prizes.  There  was  an  instance  of  the  same  kind  some 
years  since,  but,  ere  the  boy  reached  his  sixteenth  year, 
he  left  his  diagrams,  (as  a  young  geometrician  he  had 
been  one  of  great  promise,)  ran  to  the  woods,  and  fore- 
went all  other  ambition  for  that  of  excelling  in  the  chase. 
An  officer  of  the  establishment,  from  whom  I  had  this, 
added,  that  he  had  little  doubt  the  two  now  with  them 
would  follow  the  same  example.  The  account  that  I 


112  ACADEMY  AT  WEST-POINT. 

liave  received  of  the  unconquerable  wildness  of  the  young 
savages,  who,  at  different  times,  have  been  educated  in 
the  various  colleges  of  these  states,  have  sometimes 
brought  to  my  recollection  the  experiments  of  a  philoso- 
phic old  housekeeper,  in  Devonshire,  who  was  bent  upon 
domesticating  a  brood  of  partridges.  I  remember  well 
how  she  took  me,  then  a  child,  into  her  poultry  yard,  and 
dilated  upon  the  untameable  dispositions  of  these  wild 
fowl,  of  which  she  had  possessed  herself  of  a  brood  for  the 
third  or  fourth  time.  "  I  have  reared  them  now  from  the 
egg,  and  yet  two  ran  away  yesterday ;  and  if  I  had  not  put 
the  other  rogues  under  a  hen-coop,  they  would  have  been 
off  this  morning."  I  know  not  how  the  partridges  learn- 
ed, in  the  old  dame's  poultry  yard,  to  connect  happiness 
with  hedges  and  corn-fields ;  but  it  is  easy  to  see  how  the 
young  Indian  should,  in  all  places,  and  under  all  circum- 
stances, learn  to  connect  it  with  the  wilderness  and  the 
wild  deer. 

You  will  understand,  from  what  I  have  said  upon  this 
military  academy,  that  the  object  of  the  government,  un- 
der whose  eye,  and  at  whose  expense  it  is  conducted  and 
maintained,  is  not  to  rear  a  band  of  regulars.  The  youth 
are  in  no  way  under  obligations  to  enter  into  the  service 
of  the  Republic,  nor  indeed,  supposing  them  so  disposed, 
would  it  often  be  in  the  power  of  the  government  to  grati- 
fy the  desire.  The  slender  force  which  is  maintained  at 
the  national  expense,  and  which  is  barely  sufficient  for 
the  hard  duties  in  which  it  is  engaged,  (consisting,  as  I 
have  stated,  in  the  inspection  and  erection  of  public 
works.)  admits  but  of  few  openings  to  such  as  might  be 
ambitious  of  so  arduous  a  service.  It  is  intended,  indeed, 
to  provide  a  body  of  men,  whose  education  shall  fit  them 
ably  to  fill  the  chief  posts  in  this  little  band,  and  which  has 
thus  a  surety  of  being  directed  by  ability :  but  as  I  have 
.stated,  a  further  and  more  important  object  is  kept  in 
view,  namely,  that  of  scattering  throughout  the  Union  men, 


'I* 


GENERAL  REMARKS.  113 

imbued  not  merely  with  liberal  principles,  but  attached  to 
scientific  pursuits.  The  course  of  study  in  West  Point 
chiefly  differs  from  that  of  other  colleges,  in  so  far  as  it 
leans  rather  more  to  the  sciences,  and  follows  up  those 
essential  to  the  soldier  in  command,  more  particularly  the 
engineer. 

There  is  little  fear,  in  these  pacific  states,  of  any  por- 
tion of  the  citizens  acquiring  a  taste  for  military  glory. 
The  strength  of  the  country  can  never  be  put  forth  but  in 
defence.  The  very  institutions  make  against  any  other 
warfare  ;  the  sentiments  of  the  people,  inspired  by  these 
institutions,  make  against  the  same  •,  all  here  breathes  of 
peace,  as  well  as  freedom.  American  freedom,  founded 
upon  the  broad  basis  of  the  rights  of  man,  is  friendly  to 
the  freedom  of  all  nations ;  it  looks  not  with  jealousy  up- 
on the  improving  condition  of  foreign  states ;  it  will  —  it 
never  can  attack  but  when  attacked,  or  grossly  insulted ; 
but  even  in  the  last  case,  excepting  indeed  on  the  ocean, 
war  here  must  still  be  defensive.  The  army  is  \hepeople, 
and  the  people  must  be  at  home.  The  enemy  must  in- 
vade, before  it  can  be  engaged,  and  then  no  American 
need  fear  the  issue.  A  town  may  be  pillaged,  a  farm 
may  be  burnt,  a  few  acres  of  cultivated  land  be  laid 
waste,  and  then  the  aggressors  must  find  their  ships,  or  be 
overwhelmed  by  accumulating  multitudes.  Foreign  po- 
liticians, who,  speculating  upon  the  prospects  of  this  na- 
tion, augur  for  it  a  career  similar  to  that  other  empires, — 
inoffensive,  because  feeble  in  infancy,  aspiring  and  vio- 
lent in  maturing  strength,  and  then  hurried  into  ruin  by 
the  reaction  which  ever  returns  upon  aggression,  have,  I 
apprehend,  but  little  considered  its  position  and  character. 
No  nation,  in  the  whole  history  of  the  known  world,  eyer 
stood  in  a  situation  at  all  similar  to  this;  none  ever  started 
in  the  career  so  equipt  to  run  it  well.  It  has  no  ambitious 
rulers,  no  distinguished  classes,  who  might  find  it. their 
interest  to  turn  aside  the  public  attention,  by  means  of 

17 


114  GENERAL  REMARKS. 

foreign  wars,  from  the  too  narrow  inspection  of  their  aims 
or  privileges  ;  no  colonies  ;  no  foreign  possessions,  requi- 
ring the  guard  of  armed  forces,  or  nourishing  unjust  ambi- 
tion. 

What  country  before  was  ever  rid  of  so  many  evils? 
Without  adverting  to  monarchies,  let  us  consider  the  old 
republics.  What  points  of  comparison  may  we  find  be- 
tween Rome  and  the  United  States  ?  Rome  had  an  arro- 
gant and  artful  nobility,  whose  policy  it  was  to  foster  the 
military  mania  of  the  people ;  to  employ  them  in  conquests 
abroad,  lest  they  should  aspire  to  dominion  at  home.  The 
consequence  was  inevitable :  the  army  gradually  became 
the  paramount  order  in  the  state,  fell  back  upon  their  em- 
ployers, and  swallowed  the  privileges  of  the  nobility,  with 
<3 very  right  of  the  people  that  the  nobility  had  not  swal- 
lowed before  them. 

In  considering  the  history  of  modern  Europe,  we  ever 
find  the  rulers  rather  than  the  people  lighting  up  the  first 
flame  of  war,  and  madly  prosecuting  it  beyond  what  the 
strength  of  the  nation  can  support.  It  may  be  urged,  that 
an  unreasonable  war  has  often  been  a  national  one.  The 
fact  is  undoubted ;  but  we  must  take  into  the  account  the 
arts  first  employed  by  the  rulers  to  rouse  the  popular  feel- 
ing ;  or,  supposing  it  roused  without  their  assistance,  the 
arts  invariably  employed  to  keep  it  alive.  Pride  and  pas- 
sion may  hurry  a  people  into  momentary  error,  but,  if 
left  to  themselves,  time  will  bring  reflection,  and  reflec- 
tion, reason.  The  people  here  are  left  to  themselves; 
they  are  their  own  rulers,  their  own  defenders,  their  own 
champions ;  should  they  judge  hastily,  they  can  retract 
their  decision  ;  should  they  act  unwisely,  they  can  desist 
from  error.  But  there  is  yet  a  more  important  considera- 
tion—  they  are  their  own  teachers ;  not  only  can  none  shut 
the  book  of  knowledge  against  them,  but,  by  an  impera- 
tive law,  is  it  laid  open  before  them.  Every  child  is  as 


GENERAL  REMARKS.  115 

fairly  entitled  to  a  plain,  but  efficient  education,  as  is  eve- 
ry man  to  a  voice  in  the  choice  of  his  rulers.  Knowledge, 
which  is  the  bugbear  of  tyranny,  is,  to  liberty,  the  sus- 
taining staff  of  life.  To  enlighten  the  mind  of  the  Ameri- 
can citizen  is,  therefore,  a  matter  of  national  importance. 
In  his  minority  he  is,  in  a  manner,  the  ward  of  the  ruling 
generation ;  his  education  is  not  left  to  chance ;  schools 
are  every  where  open  for  him  at  the  public  expence,  where 
he  may  learn  to  study  those  rights  which  he  is  afterwards 
called  upon  to  exercise.  In  this  union  of  knowledge  with 
liberty  lies  the  strength  of  America.  The  rights  that  she 
possesses,  she  perfectly  understands.  Her  blessings  she 
not  only  enjoys,  but  knows  to  trace  to  their  true  sources. 
To  suppose,  therefore,  that  she  can  ever  idly  fling  them 
away,  is  to  suppose  her  smitten  with  sudden  madness. 
Whatever  may  be  the  career  of  this  nation,  it  must  at 
least  be  singular ;  it  cannot  be  calculated  by  the  experi- 
ence of  the  past. 

It  is  impossible  to  enter,  for  the  first  time,  the  romantic 
pass  of  the  Highlands,  and  to  rest  the  eye  upon  the  inte- 
resting academy  of  West  Point ,  perched  upon  one  of  the 
highest  and  most  rugged  pinnacles,  without  recalling  the 
traditionary  and  historical  remembrances  of  the  place. 
In  earlier  ages  this  was  the  region  of  superstitious  terror 
to  the  Indian,  and  even  the  European  hunter.  The  groans 
of  imaginary  spirits  changed  in  time  into  the  shrill  pipe  of 
war,  and  now  it  is  only  the  mimic  drum  of  the  academy 
that  rings  among  the  caverns  and  precipices,  through  which 
the  Hudson  rolls  his  deep  and  confined  waters. 

It  was  in  the  fastness  of  West  Point  that,  in  the  mo- 
ment of  his  country's  worst  distress,  the  trailer  Arnold 
planned  his  scheme  of  treachery.  There  is  a  moral  that 
breathes  from  the  tale,  and  that  is  thus  pointed  out  by  the 
historian ;  "  it  enforces  the  policy  of  conferring  high  trusts 
upon  men  of  clean  hands,  and  of  withholding  all  public  con- 
fidence from  those  who  are  subjected  to  the  dominion  of  plea- 


116  ARNOLD'S  TREACHERY. 

sure."  It  is  common  to  separate  a  man's  public  from  his 
private  character ;  the  distinction  is  more  than  dangerous, 
it  is  morally  atrocious.  It  is  possible,  indeed,  that  a  rapa- 
cious soldier,  or  an  unprincipled  minister,  may  display,  in 
domestic  life,  some  pleasing  qualities ;  and  it  is  also  pos- 
sible that  a  man,  notoriously  licentious  and  unprincipled  in 
private,  may  preserve  a  tolerably  fair  and  consistent  poli- 
tical character ;  but  this  is  a  chance  that  none  have  a 
right  to  reckon  upon ;  and  on  the  whole  it  is  to  be  regret- 
ted when  this  chance  occurs.  It  tends  to  corrupt  the 
public  morals ;  to  lead  men  of  weak  heads  and  strong 
passions  to  wear  their  unblushing  vices  openly,  and  even 
to  make  them  a  passport  to  distinction.  It  is  probable 
that  the  example  of  Arnold  served  as  a  useful  warning  to 
the  people  of  these  states,  and  tended  to  encourage  them 
in  the  practice  of  scrutinizing  the  secret  conduct  of  those 
citizens  whom  they  promote  to  offices  of  public  trust. 

It  is  somewhat  remarkable,  that  the  licentious  and  un- 
principled Arnold  should  have  been  a  native  of  Connecti- 
cut, a  state,  as  Ramsay  observes,  "  remarkable  for  the 
purity  of  its  morals,  for  its  republican  principles  and  pa- 
triotism." This  might  be  wrested  into  an  evidence  that 
early  education  does  little  towards  forming  the  character 
of  the  man ;  but  there  is  a  species  of  restraint,  which,  if 
suddenly  removed,  may  leave  the  passions  more  untamed 
than  if  no  bridle  at  all  had  been  ever  laid  upon  them.  It 
is  not  unlikely  that  the  young  Arnold  was  bred  up  by  vir- 
tuous, but  narrow-minded  puritans,  whose  doctrines  were 
hammered  into  the  head,  rather  than  breathed  into  the 
heart,  and  which,  afterwards  uprooted  during  a  stormy 
intercourse  with  the  world,  left  no  moral  feelings  to  stem 
the  flood  of  temptation.  It  was  well  written  by  a  philo- 
sopher, On  ne  dispute  jamais  surla  vertu,parce  qu'elle  vient 
de  Dieu,  on  se  querette  sur  Us  opinions  qui  viennent  des 
homines.  The  Americans  are,  for  the  most  part,  aware  of 


117 

this  truth ;  even  the  citizens  of  Connecticut  and  New- 
England  are  gradually  coming  round  to  the  opinion. 

It  is  a  proud  and  gratifying  reflection,  that  an  arduous 
revolutionary  struggle  of  eight  years'  duration  brought  to 
light  but  one  such  character  as  Arnold.  This  single  ex- 
ception was,  indeed,  a  most  atrocious  one.  Born  and 
bred  among  a  simple  and  moral  race,  embarking  the  first 
and  the  boldest  in  the  noblest  cause  in  which  a  patriot 
could  engage,  pouring  his  blood  for  years  freely,  and,  to 
appearance,  ungrudgingly,  for  a  country  who  acknow- 
ledged his  services  with  a  gratitude  and  generosity  such  as 
might  have  melted  the  heart  of  a  savage,  and  repaid  them 
with  a  confidence  which  might  have  flattered  the  most 
selfish  ambition  ;  that  a  man  so  situated,  so  held  by  every 
tie  that  might  seem  calculated,  not  only  to  induce,  but  to 
constrain  fidelity,  should,  in  the  very  last  years  of  the 
war,  have  sold  himself  for  a  bribe,  and  plotted  the  de- 
struction of  the  patriotic  army  which  he  had  so  often  led 
to  victory ;  and  that,  after  his  treason  had  been  baffled 
he  should  have  served  under  the  standard  which  he  had 
so  often  and  so  boldly  defied,  laying  waste  the  country  of 
his  nativity,  and  plundering  and  butchering  the  people 
who  had  so  often  forgiven  his  offences,  and  repaid  his  ser^ 
vices  with  gold,  hardly  and  yet  willingly  wrung  from  their 
exhausted  fortunes  ;  truly  there  is  in  this  a  hardened  der 
pravity,  an  atrocious  licentiousness,  which,  to  muse  upon, 
makes  the  blood  run  cold.  The  spot  on  the  beach  was 
pointed  out  to  me,  where  the  traitor  met  the  unfortunate 
young  Andre,  so  unfit  to  be  a  party  in  the  scheme  of 
wickedness.  It  seems  as  if  fortune  had  found  a  pleasure 
in  opposing  every  contrast  that  could  set  off  to  worst  ad- 
vantage the  villany  of  Arnold.  The  very  spy,  despatched 
by  the  enemy,  proved  too  artless  to  sustain  the  character 
that  was  thrust  upon  him.  To  portray  the  feelings  of 
these  two  men,  of  characters  so  opposite,  met  together  in 
treasonous  conference,  in  the  dead  of  night,  upon  the  wild 


118  ARNOLD'S  TREACHERY. 

and  desolate  shores  of  this  vast  river,  might  furnish  a  sub- 
ject for  the  painter  or  the  dramatist.  The  little  shallop, 
moored  upon  the  beach,  which  has  landed  the  young 
Andre;  the  sloop  of  war,  waiting  to  assist  his  retreat, 
sleeping  in  the  distance  on  the  waters ;  the  out-posts  of 
the  American  army  just  visible  on  the  tops  of  the  frown- 
ing precipices  ;  from  which,  with  hasty  and  unequal  steps, 
listening  to  every  breeze,  and  startling  at  his  own  shadow, 
the  traitor  steals  to  his  appointment.  The  soldiers  meet ; 
and  each  looks  round  as  apprehending  listeners  in  the 
savage  solitude;  one  trembling  with  the  sense  of  his 
own  iniquity,  fearing  lest  the  winds  should  bear  to  the  lit- 
tle band  of  patriots,  then  confiding  in  his  honour,  the  pur- 
pose of  their  treacherous  commander ;  the  other  ashamed 
of  the  part  in  which  he  is  engaged  • —  his  honoura- 
ble feelings  as  a  man  revolting  against  the  obedience 
he  yields  as  a  soldier  to  the  instructions  of  his  general. 
How  repugnant  to  a  generous  nature,  a  conference  held 
in  darkness  and  disguise,  with  a  cold  and  calculating  vil- 
lain, who  stipulates  the  price  for  which  he  will  sell  his 
unsuspecting  countrymen  and  companions  in  arms,  the 
voice  of  whose  sentinels,  perhaps,  swells  at  intervals  on 
the  ear ! 

The  interview  was  prolonged  until  the  dawn  threatened 
them  with  detection.  The  young  Englishman  was  forced 
to  remain  in  concealment  until  the  shades  of  another 
night  should  favour  his  escape.  Arnold,  having  secreted 
his  companion,  returned  to  his  post,  to  face,  without  a 
blush,  the  heroes  he  had  sold. 

The  romantic  position  held  by  this  detachment  of  the 
patriot  army,  increases,  if  possible,  the  interest  of  the  mo- 
ment :  it  was  posted  in  a  fastness,  if  not  impregnable,  yet 
such  as  gave  to  a  handful  of  men  a  superiority  over  thou- 
sands ;  it  stretched  along  the  tops  of  two  ridges,  broken 
into  abrupt  precipices,  sinking  on  one  side  into  woods  and 
morasses,  and  on  the  other  shelving  precipitously  into  the 


ARNOLD'S  TREACHERY.  119 

deep  Hudson,  whose  channel  it  here  securely  shut  against 
the  enemy.  Perched  like  an  eagle  in  his  eyrie,  the  little 
army  looked  down  securely  on  its  foes.  It  had  many 
distresses  to  bear,  —  hunger  and  nakedness,  with  all 
their  train  of  evils ;  but  these  it  bore  cheerfully,  uncon- 
scious of  the  fiend  who  had  found  his  way  into  this  little- 
Thermopylae  of  America,  and  who,  in  marking  out  to  his 
assailants  its  strength  and  weakness,  forgot  not  the  mise- » 
ries  of  its  defenders,  which,  perhaps,  in  his  calculation, 
reduced  their  number  to  a  cypher.  There  is  something 
greatly  affecting,  if  we  suffer  ourselves  to  picture  the  se- 
curity of  this  little  band,  seeking  forgetfulness  of  their  suf- 
ferings in  sleep,  while  their  commander  was  stealing  forth 
to  barter  them  for  gold.  The  confidence  reposed  by  the 
pure  minded  Washington  in  the  honour  of  this  veteran 
soldier,  is  not  less  affecting.  When  he  solicited  the  com- 
mand of  this  important  post,  (as  it  soon  appeared,  for  the 
express  purpose  of  selling  it  to  the  enemy,)  some  ventured 
to  whisper  doubts  of  his  fidelity,  probably  from  the  know- 
ledge of  his  debts,  as  well  as  the  strong  suspicion  of  his 
having  embezzled  the  public  money,  and  entered  into  dis- 
graceful contracts  and  speculations ;  but  the  American 
commander,  recollecting  the  long  list  of  services  rendered 
by  Arnold  to  his  country,  and  feeling  in  himself  all  the 
honour  of  a  soldier  and  a  man,  generously  resented  the 
suspicions  cast  on  one  whose  valour  and  truth  seemed  to 
have  been  so  tried,  and  frankly  accorded  the  request  pre- 
ferred to  him.  Had  this  treasonable  scheme  succeeded, 
it  is  painful  to  calculate  the  consequences  to  the  country 
and  the  cause.  West  Point  was,  perhaps,  the  post  of 
most  importance  throughout  the  whole  of  the  Union.  It 
commanded  the  navigation  of  the  Hudson,  secured  the 
communication  of  all  the  states  one  with  another,  and  pro- 
tected the  whole  interior  of  the  country.  The  enemy, 
already  in  possession  of  New- York,  would  have  com- 
manded this  great  river  from  its  mouth  to  its  head,  have 


120  ARNOLD'S  TREACHERY. 

pierced  directly  to  the  lakes,  and  established  a  line  of 
communication  with  Canada.  The  eastern  states,  thus 
cut  off  from  the  southern,  and  assailed  on  one  side  from 
the  sea,  and  on  the  other  by  land,  would  have  been  com- 
pletely surrounded,  and  must  inevitably  have  been  over- 
run, as  the  Carolinas  had  lately  been  by  the  army  under 
Cornwallis.  Not  the  least  calamitous  of  the  effects  that 
would  have  accrued  from  the  loss  of  West  Point,  had 
been  the  blow  given  to  the  public  confidence  by  so  nefarious 
a  treachery.  The  people  might  have  seen  in  every  officer 
another  Arnold,  and  the  soldier  have  attributed  every  sub- 
sequent disaster  to  the  treason  of  their  commanders.  Nor 
must  we  overlook  in  the  account,  the  despair  and  rage  of 
the  little  army,  unsuspiciously  devoted  to  slaughter  by 
their  own  leader,  and  mingling  with  their  dying  groans 
the  curses  of  righteous,  but  impotent  indignation.  From 
these  calamities  America  was  spared  ;  and  the  traveller, 
in  visiting  this  romantic  pass,  recurs  to  the  tale  of  Arnold 
as  to  that  of  some  demoniac  hero  of  a  wild  drama. 

You  remember  the  circumstances  of  the  closing  scene. 
Andre  found  his  retreat  by  water  cut  off,  and,  in  disguise, 
took  his  way  to  New- York  by  land.  Challenged,  within 
a  few  miles  of  his  own  army,  by  three  Americans  of  the 
New- York  militia,  he,  unpractised  in  deceit,  incautiously 
betrayed  himself.  Discovering  his  error,  he  offered  gold, 
with  any  terms  they  might  farther  insist  upon ;  but  he 
had  no  longer  to  treat  with  an  Arnold  ;  he,  and  the  pa- 
pers found  upon  him,  detailing  all  the  particulars  of  the 
intended  treachery,  were  delivered  by  his  captors  to  their 
colonel ;  and  the  life  of  this  young  officer  was  forfeited  to 
the  law.  After  his  seizure,  the  first  object  of  the  disin- 
terested Andre  was  to  convey  a  warning  to  Arnold ;  this 
the  latter  unfortunately  received  in  time  to  effect  his  es- 
cape. Having  joined  the  British,  the  traitor  well  filled 
up  the  measure  of  his  iniquity ;  intimately  acquainted 
\vill>  all  the  distresses  of  those  he  had  forsaken,  he  expo- 


ARNOLD'S  TREACHERY.  121 

scd  their  weakness  to  the  enemy  he  had  joined,  and  ima- 
gined that  he  knew  how  to  practise  on  it,  by  holding 
out  offers,  calculated  at  once  to  tempt  their  ambition  and 
cupidity,  and  to  subdue  their  spirit,  already  broken  down 
by  famine,  sickness,  and  every  suffering  which  can  afflict 
humanity ;  but  there  is  a  strength  in  man  which  an  Ar- 
nold cannot  dream  of;  there  is  that  virtue  which  the 
Romans,  in  their  language,  finely  made  synonymous  with 
force ;  and,  truly,  that  courage  which  has  its  seat  only  in 
the  nerves,  and  which  the  man  shares  but  in  common 
with  the  brutes,  is  no  more  to  be  compared  in  lasting 
heat  and  energy  with  the  heroism  of  mind,  than  is  the 
parhelion  to  the  sun.  The  promises  of  Arnold  were  im- 
potent as  his  threats.  The  fainting  soldiers,  whom  he 
had  sought  to  betray,  were  nerved  by  indignation  with 
new  valour.  The  country,  every  where  reduced  to  the 
lowest  ebb  of  calamity,  gathered  confidence  from  the  very 
circumstance  which  seemed  calculated  to  annihilate  it ; 
not  a  man  deserted  his  post ;  his  very  sufferings  became 
a  source  of  pride,  and  often  of  jest ;  to  be  half  naked  and 
half  starving  were  spoken  of  as  marks  by  which  to  know 
a  patriot.  Thus  it  is  that  man,  inspired  by  the  noble  spi- 
rit of  independence,  rises  above  himself,  stands  superior  to 
fortune,  and  discovers  the  divine  image  beneath  all  the 
weakness  and  pains  of  mortality. 

We  linger  here  from  day  to  day,  unwilling  to  leave  the 
kind  and  cheerful  circle  who  administer  so  pleasingly  to 
us  the  laws  of  hospitality ;  it  is  time,  however,  to  remem- 
ber that  we  have  yet  a  long  journey  to  make,  and  must 
determine  to  set  forward  so  soon  as  the  skies  shall  resume 
their  wonted  serenity.  This  has  been  a  season  of  uncom- 
mon heat,  and  along  the  whole  line  of  the  coast,  one  of 

uncommon  drought.  At ,  in  Jersey,  during  the  latter 

days  of  July,  the  mercury  twice  rose,  in  a  northern  expo- 
sure, to  a  hundred ;  and  for  many  days  successively,  when 
the  sun  was  at  his  meridian,  varied  from  90  to  96.  Some 

13 


12*2  ALBANY  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS. 

local  causes  might  there  have  influenced  the  atmosphere, 
as  I  found  its  temperature  had  been  some  degrees  lower 
in  other  places,  but  every  where  it  had  been  unusually 
high.  In  many  parts,  where  the  soil  was  light,  the  herb- 
age had  totally  disappeared,  and  plants,  of  considerable 
size  and  strength,  were  drooping,  and  occasionally  quite 
bereft  of  leaves.  In  ascending  the  Hudson,  we  had  no 
sooner  passed  the  Highlands,  than  our  eyes  fell  upon  car- 
pets of  massy  verdure,  and  woods,  whose  foliage  was 
fresh  as  if  daily  washed  by  showers.  We  could  have 
imagined  ourselves  in  a  second  spring,  but  for  the  tropical 
heat  which  followed  us ;  and  which  was  only  broken  two 
days  since  by  the  grandest  and  longest  thunder-storm 
that  I  ever  witnessed-  The  sun  has  not  yet  pierced  the 
clouds ;  his  doing  so  will  be  the  signal  for  our  departure. 
I  have  found  this  extreme  heat  much  less  oppressive  than 
I  could  have  believed  possible ;  indeed,  I  will  confess, 
under  hazard  of  your  thinking  me  fit  to  live  with  the 
giants  under  mount  ./Etna,  that  I  have  enjoyed  it  exceed- 
ingly. I  find  a  purity  and  elasticity  in  the  air  that  ex- 
hilarates my  spirits,  even  while  I  am  half  melted  by  its 
fervour.  It  may  strike  you  as  singular,  if  you  never  made 
or  heard  the  observation,  that  the  constitution  is,  in  gene- 
ral, not  immediately  sensible  to  the  extremes  of  climate. 
It  is  often  remarked  here,  that  a  stranger,  from  a  more 
southern  latitude,  feels  the  severity  of  a  first  winter  less 
than  the  natives,  though  he  should  feel  the  second  more ; 
and,  in  like  manner,  that  one  from  a  temperate  climate  is, 
for  some  years,  less  relaxed  by  the  summer  heats,  than 
those  who  have  regularly  been  exposed  to  them.  This 
last  seems  to  admit  of  an  easy  explanation  ;  but  I  know 
not  how  wise  physicians  will  account  for  the  former ;  if 
they  cannot  explain  the  fact,  they  will,  perhaps,  dispute 
it,  and  far  be  it  from  me  to  provoke  their  wrath  by  insist- 
ing upon  it. 
In  this  neighbourhood  nature  presents  many  beautiful, 


ALBANY  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS.  123 

and  some  grand  features  ;  chief  among  these,  is  the  well- 
known  cataract  of  the  Mohawk  ;  whose  waters  precipi- 
tate themselves^  over  a  fine  wall  of  rock  just  before  the}' 
unite  with  those  of  the  Hudson.  Its  height  is  stated  va- 
riously ;  perhaps  sixty  feet  is  nearest  the  mark ;  its  im- 
mense breadth  is  by  some  accounted  a  disadvantage ;  I 
imagine  this  to  be  the  true  source  of  its  grandeur,  particu- 
larly as  there  is  nothing  in  the  surrounding  scenery  to  as- 
sist the  effect.  For  us,  however,  circumstances  combined 
to  throw  charms  around  the  spot,  when  beneath  an  Ita- 
lian sky,  and  on  a  carpet  of  verdure  which  fairy  feet  might 
have  sought  to  print  their  magic  rings,  we  stretched  our- 
selves with  *  *  *  *  under  the  shade  of  a  spreading  tree, 
and  cast  our  eyes  upon  the  foaming  Cohoez,  whose  dash 
and  roar  seemed  to  cool  the  fervid  air.  A  group  of  smi- 
ling handmaids  meantime  spread  a  repast  which  an  epi- 
cure might  have  envied.  The  scene,  the  air,  the  laugh- 
ing heavens,  and  the  cheerful  companions,  have  graven 
the  place  on  my  memory  as  one  of  those  "  sunny  spots" 
which  chequer  with  gold  the  shadowy  path  of  human 
life. 

There  are  several  very  pleasing  falls  of  water  to  be 
found  in  the  hills  of  the  surrounding  country,  and  though 
in  grandeur  that  of  the  Mohawk  stands  pre-eminent,  in 
beauty  some  may  more  than  rival  it.  I  have  frequently 
been  surprised,  in  the  small  section  of  this  vast  country 
that  I  have  visited,  to  find,  upon  a  more  close  examina- 
tion, wild  and  romantic  features  in  a  landscape  whose  out- 
line wore  a  character  of  mild  beauty  or  dull  uniformity  ; 
rocky  glens,  clothed  with  shaggy  wood,  and  traversed  by 
brawling  streams,  broken  into  cascades,  are  not  un fre- 
quently found  in  hills,  rising  gently  out  of  vast  and  swampy 
plains,  or  skirting  valleys,  watered  by  placid  rivers,  whose 
banks  of  alluvial  soil  are  rich  with  golden  harvests.  The 
broken  course  of  America's  rivulets  and  rivers  has,  I  be- 
lieve, among  other  appearances,  led  the  scientific  to  sup- 


124  ALBANY  AND  ITS  ENVIRONS. 

pose  this  a  world  of  later  formation  than  the  other.  1  was 
once  much  startled  by  the  eager  refutation  which  this  hy- 
pothesis received  from  an  American  naturalist,  no  less  re- 
markable for  the  simplicity  of  his  character,  than  for  his 
enthusiasm  in  his  chosen  pursuits.  Chancing  to  put  a 
modest  query  to  the  philosopher  upon  the  results  of  his  re- 
searches into  the  age  of  his  native  continent,  I  quickly 
perceived,  that  to  question  her  antiquity,  were  as  though 
you  should  question  her  excellence,  and  you  will  believe, 
that  I  bowed  out  of  the  subject,  (for  I  had  never  presumed 
to  make  it  an  argument,)  with  all  possible  politeness  and 
deference. 


125 


LETTER  X. 


DEPARTURE  FOR  THE  FALLS  OF  NIAGARA. MODE  OF  TRA- 
VELLING.  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  COUNTRY. CANANDAI- 

GUA. 

Canandaigua,  August,  181§. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND,     ^ 

WHAT  is  there  in  life  more  pleasing  than  to  set  forward 
on  a  journey  with  a  light  heart,  a  fine  sun  in  the  heavens 
above  you,  and  the  earth  breathing  freshness  and  fra- 
grance after  summer  rain  ?  Let  us  take  into  the  account 
the  parting  good  wishes  of  friendship,  recommending  you 
to  a  kind  fortune,  and  auguring  pleasant  roads,  pleasant 
skies,  and  pleasant  every  thing.  A  preux  Chevalier,  in 
olden  time,  setting  forth  in  a  new  suit  of  armour,  buckled 
on  by  the  hand  of  a  princess,  to  seek  adventure  through 
the  wide  world,  might  be  a  more  important  personage 
than  the  peaceful  traveller  of  these  generations,  who  goes 
to  seek  waterfalls  instead  of  giants,  and  to  look  at  men 
instead  of  killing  them ;  but  I  doubt  if  he  was  in  any  way 
happier,  or  felt  one  jot  more  exquisitely  the  pride  and 
enjoyment  of  life,  health,  vigor,  and  liberty.  These  are 
the  moments  perhaps,  which,  in  the  evening  of  life,  when 
seated  in  an  easy  arm-chair,  we  may  rouse  our  drowsy 
senses  by  recurring  to  ;  and,  like  old  veterans  counting 
their  honourable  scratches,  and  all  their  "  hair-breadth 
'scapes  in  the  imminent  deadly  breach,"  pour  into  the 
ears  of  some  curly-pated  urchin  our  marvellous  adven- 
tures upon  the  back  of  a  mule,  or  in  the  heart  of  a  stage- 
wagon,  with  a  summary  of  all  the  bruises  and  the  broken 


126  MODE  OF  TRAVELLING. 

bones,  either  received,  or  that  might  have  been  received, 
by  riding  in  or  tumbling  out  of  it.  Should  I  live  to  grow 
garrulous  in  this  way,  our  journey  hither  may  afford  a 
tolerable  account  of  bruises,  though  it  is  now  a  subject  of 
congratulation  with  me,  whatever  it  may  be  then,  that 
there  must  remain  a  total  deficit  under  the  head  of  frac- 
tures. 

If  our  journey  was  rough,  it  was  at  least  very  cheerful ; 
the  weather  beautiful,  and  our  companions  good  humour- 
ed, intelligent,  and  accommodating.  I  know  not  whether 
to  recommend  the  stage-coach  or  wagon,  (for  you  are 
sometimes  put  into  the  one  and  sometimes  into  the  other,) 
as  the  best  mode  of  travelling.  This  must  depend  upon 
the  temper  of  the  traveller.  If  he  want  to  see  people  as 
well  as  things  —  to  hear  intelligent  remarks  upon  the 
country  and  its  inhabitants,  and  to  understand  the  rapid 
changes  that  each  year  brings  forth,  and  if  he  be  of  an 
easy  temper,  not  incommoded  with  trifles,  nor  caring  to 
take,  nor  understanding  to  give  offence,  liking  the  inter- 
change of  little  civilities  with  strangers,  and  pleased  to 
make  an  acquaintance,  though  it  should  be  but  one  of 
an  hour,  with  a  kind-hearted  fellow  creature,  and  if  too 
he  can  bear  a  few  jolts  —  not  a  few,  and  can  suffer  to  be 
driven  sometimes  too  quickly  over  a  rough  road,  and  some- 
times too  slowly  over  a  smooth  one,  —  then  let  him, 
by  all  means,  fill  a  corner  in  the  post-coach  or  stage- 
wagon  according  to  the  varying  grade  in  civilization 
held  by  the  American  diligence.  But  if  the  traveller  be 
a  lounger,  running  away  from  time,  or  a  landscape-paint- 
ing tourist  with  a  sketch-book  and  portable  crayons,  or 
any  thing  of  a  soi-disant  philosophe,  bringing  with  him  a 
previous  knowledge  of  the  unseen  country  he  is  about  to 
traverse,  having  itemed  in  his  closet  the  character,  with 
ihe  sum  of  its  population,  and  in  his  knowledge  of  how 
every  thing  ought  to  be,  knowing  exactly  how  every  thing 
isr  —  or,  if  he  be  of  an  unsociable  humour,  easily  put  out 


INTELLIGENT  TRAVELLERS.  127 

of  his  way,  or  as  the  phrase  is,  a  very  particular  gentle- 
man —  then  he  will  hire  or  purchase  his  own  dearborn  or 
light  wagon,  and  travel  solus  cum  solo  with  his  own  horse, 
or,  as  it  may  be,  with  some  old  associate  who  has  no  hu- 
mours of  his  own,  or  whose  humours  are  known  by  re- 
peated experience  to  be  of  the  exact  same  fashion  with 
his  companion's.  In  some  countries  you  may,  as  it  is 
called,  travel  post,  but  in  these  states  it  is  seldom  that  you 
have  this  at  your  option,  unless  you  travel  with  a  phalanx 
capable  of  peopling  a  whole  caravan ;  eight  persons  will 
be  sufficient  for  this,  the  driver  always  making  the  ninth  ; 
seated  three  in  a  row. 

In  this  journey,  as  I  have  often  found  before,  the  better 
half  of  our  entertainment  was  afforded  by  the  intelligence 
of  our  companions.  It  was  our  good  fortune  on  leaving 
Albany  to  find  ourselves  seated  immediately  by  a  gentle- 
man and  his  lady  returning  fronl  Washington  to  this  their 
residence.  He  was  a  native  of  Scotland,  but  came  to  this 
country  in  his  early  youth,  followed  the  profession  of  the 
law,  settled  himself  many  years  since  in  affluence  on  his 
farm,  (which  seems  rather  to  furnish  his  amusement  than 
his  business,)  married  into  a  family  that  had  emigrated 
from  New-England,  and  settled  down  in  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  lives  surrounded  not  only  by  all  the  comforts, 
but  the  luxuries  of  life.  We  were  variously  joined  and 
abandoned  by  citizens  of  differing  appearance  and  profes- 
sions, country  gentlemen,  lawyers,  members  of  congress, 
naval  officers,  farmers,  mechanics,  &c.  There  were  two 
characteristics  in  which  these  our  fellow  travellers  gene- 
rally, more  or  less,  resembled  each  other,  —  good  humour 
and  intelligence.  Wherever  chance  has  as  yet  thrown 
me  into  a  public  conveyance  in  this  country,  I  have  met 
with-  more  of  these,  the  best  articles  of  exchange  that  I 
am  acquainted  with,  than  I  ever  remember  to  have  found 
elsewhere. 

Our  second  day's  journey  was  long  and  fatiguing,  but 


128  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

withal  very  interesting ;  the  weather  delightful,  and  the 
scenery  pleasing.  The  road  bore  every  where  heavy 
marks  of  the  flagellations  inflicted  by  the  recent  storms. 
It  seemed  often  as  if  not  only  the  rain  but  the  lightning 
had  torn  up  the  ground,  and  scooped  out  the  soil,  now  on 
this  side,  and  now  on  that;  into  which  holes,  first  the 
light  wheel  of  our  vehicle,  and  anon  the  left  making  a 
sudden  plump,  did  all  but  spill  us  out  on  the  highway. 
To  do  justice  to  ourselves,  we  bore  the  bruises  that  were 
in  this  manner  most  plentifully  inflicted,  with  very  tolera- 
ble stoicism  and  unbroken  good  humour. 

Gaining  the  banks  of  the  Mohawk,  we  traced  its  course 
for  sixty  miles,  which,  between  the  lower  cataract  of  the 
Cohoez  and  the  upper  fulls,  flows  placidly  through  a 
country  finely  varied,  rich  with  cultivation,  and  sprinkled 
with  neat  and  broad-roofed  cottages  and  villas,  shadowed 
with  trees,  and  backed  with  an  undulating  line  of  hills, 
now  advancing  and  narrowing  the  strath,  and  then  rece- 
ding and  leaving  vistas  into  opening  glades,  down  which 
I  he  tributaries  of  the  Mohawk  pour  their  waters.  Massy 
woods  every  where  crown  and  usually  clothe  these  ridges  ; 
but  indeed,  as  yet,  there  are  few  districts  throughout 
this  vast  country  where  the  forest,  or  some  remnants  of 
it,  stand  not  within  the  horizon. 

The  valley  of  the  Mohawk  is  chiefly  peopled  by  old 
Dutch  settlers  ;  a  primitive  race,  who  retain  for  genera- 
tions the  character,  customs,  and  often  the  language  of 
their  aricient  country.  Of  all  European  emigrants,  the 
Dutch  and  the  German  invariably  thrive  the  best,  locate 
themselves,  as  the  phrase  is  here,  with  wonderful  sagacity, 
and  this  being  once  done,  is  done  for  ever.  Great  must  be 
the  penury  from  \vhich  this  harmless  people  fly,  who  are 
thus  attached  to  the  ways  of  their  fathers,  and  who,  once  re- 
moved to  a  land  yielding  sustenance  to  the  swart  hand  of 
industry,  plant  so  peacefully  their  penates,  and  root  them- 
selves so  fixedlv  in  the  soil.  As  a  settler  next  best  to 


EUROPEAN  EMIGRANTS.  129 

the  German,  thrives  the  Scot ;  the  Frenchman  is  given 
to  turn  hunter ;  the  Irishman,  drunkard,  and  the  English- 
man, speculator.  Amusement  rules  the  first,  pleasure 
ruins  the  second,  and  self-sufficient  obstinacy  drives  head- 
long the  third.  There  are  many  exceptions,  doubtless,  to 
this  rule  ;  and  the  number  of  these  increases  daily,  —  and 
for  this  reason  it  is  a  higher  class  that  is  at  present  emi- 
grating. I  speak  now  more  particularly  of  England.  It 
is  men  of  substance,  possessed  in  clear  property  of  from 
five  hundred  to  five  thousand  pounds,  who  now  attempt 
the  passage  of  the  Atlantic.  I  know  of  thirteen  families 
who  lately  arrived  in  these  states  from  the  Thames,  not 
one  of  which  is  possessed  of  less  than  the  former  sum, 
and  some  of  more  than  the  latter.  I  fear  that  the  policy 
of  England's  rulers  is  cutting  away  the  sinews  of  the 
state.  Why  are  her  yeomen  disappearing  from  the  soil, 
dwindling  into  paupers,  or  flying  as  exiles  ?  Tithes,  taxes, 
and  poor-rates  —  these  things  must  be  looked  into,  or  her 
population  will  gradually  approach  to  that  of  Spain., 
beggars  and  princes ;  the  shaft  of  the  fair  column  reft, 
away. 

Something  less  than  twenty  miles  below  Utica,  the 
river  makes  a  sharp  angle,  in  the  manner  of  the  Hudsori 
at  West  Point,  running  into  a  cleft  or  gap,  forced  in  pri- 
meval times,  with  dreadful  convulsion,  through  the  ridge 
along  the  base  of  which  it  afterwards  so  peacefully  winds. 
The  Mohawk  assumes  here  much  the  character  of  Loch 
Katrine  at  the  Trosachs ;  the  beetling  crags,  and  rocks 
in  ruin  hurled,  and  shaggy  wood,  grooved  in  the  dark  cre- 
vices, and  little  coves,  where  the  still  clear  water  stirs 
not  the  leaf  that  has  dropped  upon  its  bosom.  But  there 
is  no  Ben- Venue  and  Ben- Ann  to  guard  the  magic  pass ; 
nor  lady  with  her  fairy  skiff,  nor  is  the  fancy  here  entitled 
to  image  her ;  it  may,  however,  if  it  be  sportively  in- 
clined, picture  out  the  wild  Indian  paddling  his  canoe,  or 
springing  from  rock  to  rock,  swift  as  the  deer  he  pursues- 

19 


130  DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  COUNTRY. 

It  is  evident  that  the  water  once  occupied  the  whole 
breadth  of  the  ravine,  when  it  must  have  boiled  and  ed- 
died with  somewhat  more  tumultous  passions  than  it 
shows  at  present.  The  huge  misshapen  blocks  that  now 
rise  peacefully  out  of  the  flood,  beetle  over  the  head  of 
the  passenger,  or,  standing  in  the  line  of  his  rough  path, 
force  him  variously  to  wheel  to  right  or  left,  bear  on  their 
sides  the  marks  of  the  ancient  fury  of  the  subdued  ele- 
ment, which,  now  having  sunk  its  channel,  leaves  room 
for  the  road  to  scramble  an  intricate  way  by  its  side. 
When  about  to  issue  from  the  chasm,  you  open  upon  the 
Lesser  Falls,  so  called  in  contrast  to  the  greater  cataract 
at  the  mouth  of  the  river.  It  is  a  wild  scene,  and  helps 
the  fancy  to  image  out  the  uproar  that  must  in  former 
ages  have  raged  in  the  depths  of  the  pass  below.  How 
astounding  it  is  to  trace  in  the  vast  works  of  nature  the 
operations  of  time  ;  so  mighty,  and  yet  so  slow,  silent, 
and  unseen  J  The  whole  known  history.of  man  reaches 
not  back  to  the  date  of  some  crevice  in  a  mountain ;  each 
fathom,  worn  by  a  river  in  his  rocky  bed,  speaks  of  untold 
generations,  swept  from  the  earth,  and  lost  from  her  re- 
cords. How  grand  is  the  solemn  march  of  nature  still 
adv  ancing  without  check,  or  stop,  or  threat  of  hindrance ! 
Ages  are  to  her  as  moments,  and  all  the  known  course 
of  time  a  span. 

We  reached  Utica  very  tolerably  fagged,  and  bruised 
as  I  could  not  wish  an  enemy.  A  day's  rest  well  re- 
cruited us,  however,  and  gave  us  time  to  examine  this 
wonderful  little  town,  scarce  twenty  years  old.  An  inn- 
keeper here,  at  whose  door  fifteen  stages  stop  daily,  car- 
ried, eighteen  years  since,  the  solitary  and  weekly  mail 
in  his  coat  pocket,  from  hence  to  Albany.  This  new- 
born Utica  already  aspires  to  be  the  capital  of  the  state, 
and  in  a  few  years  it  probably  will  be  so,  though  Albany- 
is  by  no  means  willing  to  yield  the  honor,  nor  New- York 
the  convenience,  of  having  the  seat  of  government  in  her 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  COUNTRY.        131 

neighbourhood ;  but  the  young  western  counties  are  such 
stout  and  imperious  children,  that  it  will  soon  be  found 
necessary  to  consult  their  interests. 

The  importance  of  Utica  will  soon  be  increased  by  the 
opening  of  the  great  canal,  destined  here  to  join  the  Mo- 
hawk. We  swerved  the  next  day  from  our  direct  route 
for  the  purpose  of  looking  at  this  work,  now  in  considera- 
ble progress,  and  which,  in  its  consequences,  is  truly 
grand,  affording  a  water  high-way  from  the  heart  of  this 
great  continent  to  the  ocean  ;  commencing  at  Lake  Erie, 
it  finds  a  level,  with  but  little  circuit,  to  the  Mohawk ; 
at  the  Lesser  Falls  are  some  considerable  locks  5  others 
will  be  required  at  the  mouth  of  the  river,  where  the 
Hudson  opens  his  broad  way  to  the  Atlantic.  It  is 
thought  that  four  or  five  years  will  now  fully  complete 
this  work.  The  most  troublesome  opposition  it  has  en- 
countered, is  in  the  vast  Onondaga  swamp,  and  not  a 
few  of  the  workmen  have  fallen  a  sacrifice  to  its  pestilen- 
tial atmosphere. 

Leaving  Utica,  the  country  begins  to  assume  a  rough 
appearance ;  stumps  and  girdled  trees  encumbering  the 
inclosures ;  log-houses  scattered  here  and  there  ;  the  cul- 
tivation rarely  extending  more  than  half  a  mile,  nor  usual- 
ly so  much,  on  either  hand ;  when  the  forest,  whose  face  is 
usually  rendered  hideous  to  the  eye  of  the  traveller  by  a  skirt- 
ing line  of  girdled  trees,  half  standing,  half  falling,  stretches 
its  vast,  unbroken  shade  over  plain,  and  hill,  and  dale  : 
disappearing  only  with  the  horizon.  Frequently,  how- 
ever,' gaining  a  rising  ground  (and  the  face  of  the  country 
is  always  more  or  less  undulating)  you  can  distinguish 
gaps,  sometimes  long  and  broad,  in  the  deep  verdure, 
which  tell  that  the  axe  and  the  plough  are  waging  war 
with  the  wilderness.  Owing  to  some  disputed  claims  in 
the  tenure  of  the  lands,  cultivation  has  made  less  progress 
here  than  it  has  farther  west,  as  we  found  on  approaching 
the  Skneneatalas,  Cayuga,  Seneca,  Onondaga,  and  Ca- 


132  CANANDAIGUA. 

nandaigua  lakes.  Having  passed  the  flourishing  town  of 
Auburn,  we  found  the  country  much  more  open ;  well- 
finished  houses,  and  thriving  villages,  appearing  conti- 
nually. The  fifth  day  from  that  of  our  departure  from 
Albany  brought  us  to  this  village,  where  our  kind  fellow 
travellers  insisted  on  becoming  our  hosts.  The  villages 
at  the  head  of  the  different  lakes  I  have  enumerated  above, 
are  all  thriving,  cheerful,  and  generally  beautiful ;  but 
Canandaigua,  I  think,  bears  away  the  palm.  The  land 
has  been  disposed  of  in  lots  of  forty  acres  each,  one  being 
the  breadth,  running  in  lines  diverging  on  either  hand 
from  the  main  road.  The  houses  are  all  delicately  paint- 
ed ;  their  windows  with  green  Venetian  blinds,  peeping 
gaily  through  fine  young  trees,  or  standing  forward  more 
exposed  on  their  little  lawns,  green  and  fresh  as  those  of 
England.  Smiling  gardens,  orchards  laden  with  fruit — 
quinces,  apples,  plums,  peaches,  &c.  and  fields,  rich  in 
golden  grain,  stretch  behind  each  of  these  lovely  villas  ; 
the  church  with  its  white  steeple  rising  in  the  midst,  over- 
looking this  land  of  enchantment. 

The  increase  of  population,  the  encroachment  of  culti- 
vation on  the  wilderness,  the  birth  of  settlements,  and 
their  growth  into  towns,  surpasses  belief,  till  one  has  been 
an  eye-witness  of  the  miracle,  or  conversed  on  the  spot 
with  those  who  have  been  so.  It  is  wonderfully  cheer- 
ing to  find  yourself  in  a  country  which  tells  only  of  im- 
provement. What  other  land  is  there  that  points  not  the 
imagination'back  to  better  days,  contrasting  present  de- 
cay with  departed  strength,  or  that,  even  in  its  struggles 
to  hold  a  forward  career,  is  not  checked  at  every  step  by 
some  physical  or  political  hindrance  ? 

I  think  it  was  one  of  the  sons  of  Constantine,  I  am  sure 
that  it  was  one  of  his  successors,  who,  returning  from  a 
visit  to  Rome,  said,  that  he  had  learned  one  thing  there, 
"  that  men  died  in  that  queen  of  cities  as  they  did  else- 
where." It  might  require  more,  perhaps,  to  remind  a 


CANANDAIGUA.  133 

stranger  of  the  mortality  of  his  species  in  these  states, 
than  it  did  in  old  Rome.  All  here  wears  so  much  the 
gloss  of  novelty — all  around  you  breathes  so  much  of  the 
life  and  energy  of  youth,  that  a  wanderer  from  the  an- 
tique habitations  of  time-worn  Europe  might  look  around, 
and  deem  that  man  here  held  a  new  charter  of  existence ; 
that  time  had  folded  his  wings,  and  the  sister  thrown 
away  the  shears. 


134 


LETTER  XI. 


GENESEE. VISIT   TO  MR.  WADSWORTH. AMERICAN  FAR* 

MER.  —  SETTLING    OF    THE    NEW    TERRITORY. FOREST 

SCENERY. 

Genesee,  August,  1819. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

TAKING  a  kind  farewell  of  our  hospitable  friends  in 
Canandaigua,  we  struck  into  the  forest,  and  by  a  cross 
road,  helter  skelter  over  stumps  and  logs,  rattled  in  a 
.clumsy  conveyance  to  this  thriving  settlement  on  the 
banks  of  the  Genesee.  The  road,  though  rough,  was  not 
wholly  without  its  interest ;  at  first,  opening  prospects  of 
hills  and  vallies,  where  sometimes  the  white  walls  of  a 
young  settlement  glanced  in  the  sun,  relieving  the  bound- 
less "  continuity  of  shade  ;"  and  then  bordered  occasion- 
ally with  corn-fields  and  young  orchards  of  peach  and 
apple,  groaning  beneath  their  weight  of  riches.  The 
withered  trees  of  the  forest  stood  indeed  among  them ; 
but  though  these  should  mar  beauty,  they  give  a  charac- 
ter to  the  scene  that  speaks  to  the  heart,  if  not  to  the  eye. 
We  were  received  with  a  warm  welcome  by  Mr.  and 
Mi's.  Wadsworth,  a  name  you  are  already  acquainted 
with.  The  American  gentleman  receives  his  guest  in  the 
true  style  of  old  patriarchal  hospitality  —  with  open  hand 
at  the  gate  ;  and  leads  you  over  the  threshold  with  smi- 
ling greetings,  that  say  more  than  a  thousand  words. 
There  is  about  him  an  urbanity,  and  a  politeness,  breath- 
ing from  the  heart,  which  courts  and  cities  never  teach. 


VISIT  TO  MR.  WADSWORTH.  135 

Nothing  seems  to  be  disarranged  by  your  presence,  and 
yet  all  is  ordered  for  your  convenience  and  amusement ; 
you  find  yourself,  in  a  few  minutes,  one  of  the  family ; 
frankness  and  friendliness  draw  forth  the  same  feelings 
from  you ;  you  are  domesticated  at  the  hearth  and  the 
board,  and  depart  at  last  with  heart  overflowing,  as  from 
some  home,  endeared  by  habit,  and  sacred  association. 

This  house  stands  pleasantly  on  the  gentle  declivity  of 
a  hill,  commanding  a  fine  prospect  of  the  Genesee  Flats 
(beautiful  prairie  land  bordering  the  river,)  and  the  rising 
grounds,  covered  with  dark  forests,  bounding  them.  Some 
scattered  groups  of  young  locust  trees  spread  their  chequer- 
ed shade  upon  the  lawn  ;  down  which,  as  seated  beneath 
the  porch,  or  in  the  hall,  with  its  wide  open  doors,  the  eye 
glances,  first  over  a  champaign  country,  speckled  with 
flocks  and  herds,  and  golden  harvests ;  and  then  over  pri- 
meval woods,  where  the  Indian  chases  the  wild  deer.  To 
the  right  stretches  a  scattered  village  of  neat  white  houses, 
that  have  just  started  into  being ;  from  the  bosom  of  which 
rises  the  spire  of  a  little  chapel,  flashing  against  the  sun ; 
behind,  barns,  stables,  and  out-houses ;  and  to  the  right  a 
spacious  and  well-replenished  garden,  with  orchard  after 
orchard,  laden  with  all  the  varieties  of  apple,  pear,  and 
peach. 

Mr.  Wadsworth  is  the  patriarch  of  the  Genesee  district. 
He  is  a  native  of  New-England,  in  whose  earliest  history 
the  name  appears  frequently  and  honourably.  It  is 
scarcely  nineteen  years  since  this  gentleman,  with  his 
brother,  Col.  Wadsworth,  pierced  into  these  forests,  then 
inhabited  only  by  the  savage  and  his  prey.  The  rich  and 
open  lands  here  stretching  along  the  river,  fixed  their  at- 
tention, and  having  purchased  a  considerable  tract  of  land 
from  the  Indian  proprietors,  they  settled  themselves  down 
among  them.  The  first  six  years  were  years  of  fearful 
hardship ;  every  autumn  brought  fevers,  intermitting  and 
bilious,  and  this  too  in  a  wilderness  where  no  comforts  nor 


. 

136  VISIT  TO  MR.  WADSWORTtf. 

conveniences  could  be  procured.  Their  constitutions, 
however,  hardened  by  early  temperance,  weathered  this 
trying  season.  Other  settlers  gradually  joined  them,  and 
now  a  smiling  village  is  at  their  door,  rich  farms  rising 
every  where  out  of  the  forest,  and  a  pure  and  healthy  at- 
mosphere ever  surrounding  them.  Mrs.  Wadsworth  tells 
me,  that  her  numerous  family  have  never  been  afflicted 
with  sickness  of  any  kind,  nor  do  we  hear  of  any  in  the 
surrounding  neighbourhood. 

I  have  not  yet  seen  more  thriving  or  beautiful  young  set- 
tlements than  those  now  surrounding  me.  Mr.  Wads- 
worth  is  considered  as  one  of  the  richest  proprietors  in  the 
state;  and  well  has  he  acquired  his  wealth,  and  gene- 
rously does  he  employ  it.  Like  one  of  the  patriarchs  of 
old,  he  looks  round  upon  his  flocks  and  herds,  luxuriant 
pastures,  and  rich  fields  of  grain,  bounteous  heaven  ever 
adding  to  his  store,  and  feels  that,  under  its  blessings,  all 
is  the  reward  of  his  own  industry,  the  work,  as  it  were,  of 
his  creation.  It  is  truly  a  grateful  sight  to  see  the  wilder- 
ness thus  transformed  into  beauty;  to  see  the  human 
species  absolved  from  oppression,  and,  with  it,  absolved 
from  misery,  extending  their  dominion,  not  unjustly  over 
their  fellow  creatures,  but  over  the  peaceful  earth,  and 
leaving  to  their  posterity  the  well-earned  fruits  of  their 
industry,  and,  what  is  better,  the  pure  example  of  time 
well  employed.  In  truth  it  cheers  the  spirits,  and  does 
the  heart  good  to  see  these  things. 

Sometimes,  indeed,  I  cannot  help  contrasting  the  con- 
dition of  the  American  with  that  of  the  English  farmer ; 
no  tithes,  no  grinding  taxes,  no  bribes  received  or  offered 
by  electioneering  candidates  or  their  agents ;  no  anxious 
fears  as  to  the  destiny  of  his  children,  and  their  future  esta- 
blishment in  life.  Plenty  at  the  board ;  good  horses  in 
the  stable ;  an  open  door,  a  friendly  welcome,  light  spirits, 
and  easy  toil ;  such  is  what  you  find  with  the  American 
fanner.  In  England  — 


AMERICAN  FARMER.  137 

*•'  There  is  a  tale  the  traveller  can  read 
Who,  on  old  Tyber's  banks,  hath  check'd  his  steed, 
And  paus'd,  and  musjd,  and  wept  upon  the  wreck 
Of  what  was  Rome." 

You  will  tell  me,  perhaps,  that  I  now  see  the  old  world 
in  contrast  with  the  new ;  that  this  is  comparing  age  to 
youth,  a  comparison  that  is  either  unfair  or  childish.  But 
is  it  with  nations  as  with  individuals  ?  Have  they  no  se- 
cond youth  ?  We  have  seldom  seen  that  they  have ;  but 
few  in  their  old  age  have  shown  such  vigour  as  England. 
Has  she  not  enough  to  work  her  own  regeneration  ?  I 
wish  it  too  well  not  to  believe  it. 

"  Oh  England  !  well  I  love  thee ;  oft  recall 
Thy  pleasant  fields  ;  thy  hills'  soft  sloping  fall ; 
Thy  woods  of  massy  shade  and  cool  retreat ; 
Thy  rivers  in  their  sedges  murmuring  sweet, 
Where  once,  with  tender  feet,  I  wont  to  stray, 

Muttering  my  childish  rhymings  by  the  way  ; 
And  pouring  plenteous  sighs,  I  knew  not  why, 
And  d  ropping  soft  tears  from  my  musing  eye.  — 
Yes  !  much  I  love  thee  ;  — turn  not  then  away 
As  tho'  thou  heard'st  a  heartless  alien's  lay. 
Childhood  and  dreaming  youth  flew  o'er  this  head 
Ere  from  thy  pleasant  lawns  the  wanderer  fled ; 
And  tho'  maturer  years  have  mark'd  her  brow, 
And  somewhat  chill'd  perchance  her  feelings  now, 
Still  does  her  stricken  heart  beat  warm  for  thee, 
Much  does  it  wish  thee  great,  —  much  does  it  wish  thee  free. 

Thoughts  of  a  Recluse. 

Forgive  me  this  quotation.  It  expresses  my  feelings 
at  the  moment.  I  need  not  say  moment ;  for  they  force 
themselves  upon  me  very  often. 

It  were  difficult,  perhaps,  to  conceive  man  placed  in  a 
more  enviable  position  than  he  is  as  a  cultivator  of  the  soil 
in  these  states.  Agriculture  here  assumes  her  most  cheer- 
ful aspect,  and  (some  Europeans  might  smile  doubtingly, 
but  it  is  true)  all  her  ancient  classic  dignity,  as  when  Rome 

20 


138  AMERICAN  FARMER. 

summoned  her  consuls  from  the  plough.  I  have  seen 
(hose  who  have  raised  their  voice  in  the  senate  of  their 
country,  and  whose  hands  have  fought  her  battles,  walking 
beside  the  team,  and  minutely  directing  every  operation 
of  husbandry,  with  the  soil  upon  their  garments,  and  their 
countenances  bronzed  by  the  meridian  sun.  And  how 
proudly  does  such  a  man  tread  his  paternal  fields !  his 
ample  domains  improving  under  his  hand ;  his  garners 
full  to  overflowing ;  his  table  replenished  with  guests,  and 
with  a  numerous  offspring,  whose  nerves  are  braced  by 
exercise,  and  their  minds  invigorated  by  liberty.  It  was 
finely  answered  by  an  American  citizen  to  a  European 
who,  looking  around  him,  exclaimed,  "  Yes ;  this  is  all 
well.  You  have  all  the  vulgar  and  the  substantial,  but  I 
look  in  vain  for  the  ornamental.  Where  are  your  ruins 
and  your  poetry  T'  "  There  are  our  ruins,"  replied  the 
republican,  pointing  to  a  revolutionary  soldier  who  was 
turning  up  the  glebe  ;  and  then,  extending  his  hand  over 
the  plain  that  stretched  before  them,  smiling  with  luxu- 
riant farms  and  little  villas,  peeping  out  from  beds  of 
trees,  "  there  is  our  poetry." 

It  is  not  always,  indeed,  that  the  farmer  may  aspire  to 
affluence,  as  some  of  our  more  ignorant  emigrants  sup- 
pose. I  have  seen  small  proprietors  in  this  country, 
whose  life  was  one  continued  scene  of  unbroken  toil,  and 
whose  exertions  procured  little  more  to  themselves  and 
their  families,  than  common  necessaries  and  indispensa- 
ble comforts ;  these,  however,  they  may  always  procure, 
and  sometimes  by  shifting  the  scene  of  their  industry,  may 
ensure  more  abundant  returns.  But  here  again  there  are 
often  positive  evils  that  must  be  placed  in  the  balance 
against  positive  good.  The  hardy  citizen,  who  migrates 
from  the  more  sterile  districts  of  New-England  to  the  vir- 
gin lands  of  the  West,  has  to  encounter  fatigues,  and  but 
too  frequently  unwholesome  vapours  to  which  even  his 
vigorous  constitution  may  fall  a  sacrifice.  It  is  wonder- 


AMERICAN  FARMER.  139 

ful  to  see  how  cheerfully  these  physical  evils  are  braved, 
and  often  how  well  and  speedily  they  are  surmounted ; 
but  still,  with  many,  a  hard-earned  competence  with 
health  will  balance  against,  the  chance  of  greater  abun- 
dance, purchased  by  years  of  sickness,  or  perhaps  by  a 
broken  constitution. 

We  should,  however,  but  ill  appreciate  the  causes 
which  pour  the  tide  of  emigration  from  the  east  to  the 
west,  if  we  considered  avarice  as  giving  the  sole  impetus. 
It  is  not  a  mere  calculation  of  dollars  and  cents,  or  a 
thousand  bushels  of  corn  placed  against  a  hundred,  which 
alone  sways  the  mind  of  the  adventurous  settler. 

The  position  of  this  country,  its  boundless  territory,  its 
varied  soils  and  climates,  its  free  institutions,  and,  favoured 
by  these  circumstances,  the  rapid  increase  of  its  popula- 
tion, —  all  combine  to  generate  in  this  people  a  spirit  of 
flaring  enterprise,  as  well  as  of  proud  independence. 
They  spurn  at  little  hindrances  in  narrow  room,  and  pre- 
fer great  difficulties  in  a  wide  horizon.  In  flying  to  tho 
wilderness,  they  fly  a  thousand  constraints  which  society 
must  always  impose,  even  under  the  fairest  laws.  They 
have  here  no  longer  to  justle  with  the  crowd  ;  their  war  is 
only  with  nature;  their  evils,  therefore,  are  chiefly  physical, 
and  the  comforts  they  may  forego,  are  amply  compensa- 
ted by  the  frets  and  cares  from  which  they  may  be  re- 
leased. It  is  curious  to  consider  the  effect  which  this  re- 
lease from  moral  ills  seems  to  have  upon  the  constitution. 
Those  who  safely  weather  out  the  first  hard  seasoning,  or 
who,  from  choosing  their  ground  more  judiciously,  escape 
with  but  very  little,  are  often  found  to  live  to  an  unusual 
age.  It  is  a  singular  fact,  that  the  citizens  of  the  new 
states  are  often  remarkable  for  uncommon  longevity,  and 
universally  for  uncommon  stature.  This  cannot  be  ac- 
counted for  by  supposing  that  they  are  more  exposed  to 
air  and  exercise  ;  the  American  farmer  is  this  universal- 
ly ;  and  though  universally  the  average  of  his  stature  is 


140  AMERICAN  FARMER. 

above  that  of  Europeans,  it  were,  perhaps,  more  just  to 
ascribe  this  varying  standard  of  bodily  vigour  to  the  less 
or  greater  pressure  of  mental  solicitude.* 

Were  the  human  mind  less  sensible  to  the  charms  of 
novelty  and  liberty,  the  settlement  of  the  new  country 
might  be  left  only  to  the  necessitous.  As  it  is,  men  of 
property,  and  gentlemen  accustomed  to  all  the  refinements 
of  society,  are  found  among  the  first  occupiers  of  the  wil- 
derness. When  Mr.  Wadsworth  settled  in  this  district, 
he  formed  the  advanced  guard  of  civilization  ;  a  vast 
tract  of  forest  stretched  behind  him,  through  which  he 
cleared  a  passage  for  the  necessary  implements  of  hus- 
bandry, with  considerable  toil  and  difficulty.  The  tide 
of  human  life  has  now  flowed  up  to  him,  and  is  rapidly 
sweeping  onward  in  all  directions. 

In  the  deep  verdure  of  the  forest^  stretching  beyond  the 
open  lands  that  border  the  river,  the  eye  discerns  specks 
of  a  browner  hue,  which  mark  where  the  new  settler  has 
commenced  his  work  of  peaceful  industry.  It  was  with 
much  surprise,  that,  in  a  late  excursion,  we  suddenly 
opened  upon  a  flourishing  little  village  that  has  started  up 
in  a  couple  of  years,  or  little  more,  in  the  bosom  of  the 
forest,  a  few  miles  higher  up  the  river. 

It  was  towards  evening  when  we  reached  the  settle- 
ment ;  and  then,  turning  again  among  the  trees,  and  ma- 
king a  short  ascent  by  a  road  roughly  paved  with  logs, 
suddenly  found  ourselves  on  a  lawn,  in  front  of  a  spacious 

*  I  perceive  that  Lieutenant  Hall  has  admitted,  among  the  causes  to  which 
he  ascribes  the  gigantic  stature  of  the  members  from  the  western  states, 
whom  he  observed  in  Washington,  '•  the.  abHerico  of  mental  irritation."  The 
other  causes  which  he  enumerates,  "  plentiful,  but  simple  fuod,  a  healthy  cli- 
mate, constant  exercise  in  the  open  air,"  might  better  account  for  the  differing 
stature  between  Europeans  and  Americans  generally,  than  between  the  Ame- 
ricans of  the  old  and  new  territory.  The  climate  of  the  eastern  and  central 
states,  though  it  should  not  vie  in  beauty,  must,  for  some  years  to  come,  in 
salubrity,  with  that  of  the  western  districts.  The  people  of  these  states  gene- 
rally are  well  but  simply  fed,  and  continually  exercised.  The  difference,  if 
any,  can  scarcely  be  sufficient  to  affect  the  bodily  organs. 


FOREST  SCENERY.  141 

and  elegant  dwelling.  We  had  already  made  acquaint- 
ance with  its  hospitable  owner,  who,  with  his  wife  and 
daughter,  had  during  the  day  joined  our  cavalcade  in  the 
forest. 

/  Mr.  Hopkinsflp  followed  successfully  for  many  years 
the  profession  of  law  in  the  city  of  New- York.  His  en- 
terprise and  good  taste  seemed  equal  to  his  opulence. 
The  neighbouring  village  has  grown  up  under  his  eye  ; 
his  house,  both  within  and  without,  wears  the  character 
of  convenience  and  elegance.  The  manner  in  which  he 
has  cleared  the  forest  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of 
his  dwelling,  is  peculiarly  admirable.  In  general,  the 
settler  cuts  to  right  and  left  with  unsparing  fury,  anxious 
only  to  clear  the  giant  weeds  which  obstruct  the  light, 
and  choke  his  respiration.  It  is  a  natural  impulse,  per- 
haps, which  leads  him  thus  unthinkingly  to  lay  bare  his 
cabin  to  the  heavens  ;  but  some  may  doubt  if  it  be  very 
wise,  and  all  will  agree,  that  it  is  in  very  bad  taste.  I 
know  not  if  the  observation  has  been  made  by  others,  but 
it  has  often  occurred  to  me,  that  the  gap  made  by  the  set- 
tler in  the  dense  mass  of  the  forest,  must  serve  as  a  sort 
of  funnel,  by  which  the  hot  rays  of  the  sun  must  draw  up 
the  noxious  vapours  from  the  surrounding  shades.  Were 
he  to  place  his  cabin  under  shelter,  and  commence  his 
chief  operations  at  a  little  distance,  I  have  a  notion  that" 
his  family  would  both  enjoy  more  comfort  and  better 
health.  I  have  sometimes  put  a  query  upon  this  subject 
to  a  farmer,  who  has  invariably  assured  me,  that  any  sin- 
gle tree,  if  deprived  of  the  support  of  its  neighbours, 
would  infallibly  be  blown  down.  This  seemed  probable 
enough,  but  as  the  assurance  was  generally  accompanied 
by  some  reflections  upon  the  uselessness  of  the  long  weeds, 
I  felt  by  no  means  satisfied  that  they  had  ever  had  fair 
play.  I  was  convinced  of  this,  when,  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  Canandaigua,  we  found  a  New-England  farmer, 
whose  house  was  surrounded  by  a  fine  grove  of  young 


142  FOREST  SCENERY. 

hickory,  which  had  been  cleared  out  with  care,  and  stood 
in  perfect  health  and  security. 

Mr.  Hopkinson  has  tried  the  experiment  on  a  larger 
scale,  and  cleared  the  forest  around  his  dwelling  in  such 
a  manner  as  to  give  to  it  the  air  of  ^^agnificent  park.** 
It  is  surprising  to  see  how  soon  these  giants  have  thrown 
down  their  branches,  rejoicing  in  the  air  and  light  sudden- 
ly opened  to  them.  When  first  exposed,  they  have  the 
appearance  of  enormous  ship-masts,  their  smooth,  silvery 
stems,  towering  to  the  skies,  sustaining  on  their  heads  a 
circular  canopy  of  verdure,  like  the  umbrella  of  a  Brog- 
dignag.  There  is  one  peculiarity  that  characterizes  the 
American  forest,  which  is  wonderfully  favourable  to  the 
ornamental  clearer;  it  is  the  general  absence  of  brush, 
and  the  fine  smooth  carpet  of  verdure  spread  by  the  hand 
of  nature  over  the  surface  of  the  soil.*  It  is  doubtless 
necessary,  in  this  operation,  to  proceed  with  much  cau- 
tion, and  to  consult  the  nature  of  the  soil  as  well  as  of 
the  tree  you  intend  to  preserve.  A  fence  from  the  north- 
west must  usually  be  indispensable.  Every  thing  seems 
to  have  favoured  Mr.  Hopkinson's  improvements :  and 
we  should  have  been  well  pleased,  had  time  permitted  us 
to  have  surveyed  them  more  at  leisure. 

Entering  the  house,  the  shade  of  its  broad  piazzas  and 
Venetian  blinds,  through  which  the  evening  breeze  play- 
ed sweetly,  refreshed  us  much  after  the  fatigues  and  heats 
of  the  day.  From  the  windows  the  eye  glanced  down 
the  hill,  through  vistas  tastefully  opened  in  the  dense 
shade,  upon  the  rich  valley,  watered  by  the  river,  and 
the  undulating  lands  which  lay  beyond ;  the  last  rays  of 
the  sinking  sun  flashed  upon  the  white  walls  of  the  little 

4  May  not  this  be  the  cause,  which,  by  affording  facilities  to  the  hunter, 
served  to  arrest  the  aborigines  of  North  America  in  the  savage  state  ?  The 
woods  of  the  southern  continent  are  represented  as  impeded  by  luxuriant 
and  impervious  vegetation.  Man,  thus  shut  out  from  the  covert,  and  driven 
to  seek  the  open  plains  and  valleys,  was  there  naturally  JureJ  to  the  pasto- 
ral and  agricultural  life. 


J/ 


FOREST  SCENERY.  143 

town  of  Genesee,  perched  upon  the  distant  horizon,  and 
shed  a  flood  of  glory  upon  the  wide  world  of  primeval 
forest  that  stretched  around. 

While  refreshing  ourselves  with  a  variety  of  delicious 
fruit,  and,  for  mjj§elf,  looking  round  in  wondering  admi- 
ration at  this  house  of  enchantment,  for  truly,  containing, 
as  it  did,  every  convenience  and  luxury  that  art  could 
afford,  and  planted  down  thus  in  the  bosom  of  the  wil- 
derness, it  seemed  like  nothing  else  than  some  palace  of 
the  genii,  —  while  thus  gazing  and  admiring,  a  pleasing 
young  woman  entered,  the  wife  of  a  neighbouring  settler. 
She  prolonged  her  stay  until  the  sun  had  bade  good  night, 
and  then,  requesting  us  to  look  in  upon  her  in  her  log- 
house  before  our  departure,  remounted  her  horse,  disap- 
peared in  the  forest,  and  gained  her  home  seven  miles 
distant,  more  by  the  sagacity  of  the  steed  than  any  twink- 
ling of  the  stars. 

We  made  her  a  visit  next  day.  The  dwelling,  though 
small,  and  every  way  inconvenient,  as  one  might  have 
imagined,  to  those  accustomed  to  all  the  comforts  of  a 
city  life,  (for  this  gentleman  is  an  emigrant  from  Boston, 
Massachusetts,)  was  rather  of  larger  dimensions  than  the 
ordinary  log-house,  being  divided  into  a  room  and  kitchen, 
and  having  a  sleeping  apartment  above.  With  all  these 
extras,  however,  the  dwelling  was  comfortless  enough 
for  a  five  years'  residence  ;  yet  its  owners  seemed  con- 
tented in  it,  putting  off  from  year  to  year  the  building  of 
a  better,  and  finding  in  this  narrow  and  ill-finished  tene- 
ment in  the  wilderness,  that  contentment  which  many  live 
and  die  without  finding  in  a  palace. 

Returning  from  this  excursion,  we  again  traversed  the 
open  prairie  that  here  stretches  along  the  water-course, 
and  forms  the  richest  portion  of  Mr.  Wadsworth's  mag- 
nificent property.  We  often  paused  to  admire  the  giant 
trees,  scattered  tastefully  here  and  there  by  the  hand  of 
nature ;  their  enormous  trucks,  rooted  in  alluvial  soil. 


141  ,        FOREST  SCENERY. 

pointing  up  their  stems  into  mid  air,  like  the  columns  of 
some  Gothic  minster,  and  then  flinging  abroad  their  migh- 
ty arms,  from  which  the  graceful  foliage  dropping  down- 
wards, opposed,  in  beautiful  contrast,  the  rich  verdure 
with  the  clean  and  polished  bark.  Tl^fmest  trees  that 
I  had  ever  before  seen,  had  been  dwarfs,  if  placed  beside 
these  mighty  giants. 

The  art  of  ornamental  planting  has,  as  yet,  been  little 
cultivated  in  these  states.  The  native  forest  is  generally 
in  sight ;  and,  as  the  human  eye  is  prone  to  rest  with 
pleasure  on  what  is  uncommon,  an  American  usually 
considers  an  open  plain  as  nature's  most  beautiful  feature. 
The  settler's  first  desire  is  to  have  a  clear  view  of  the 
heavens  ;  when  his  patch  of  ground  is  completely  naked, 
he  tells  you,  that  it  looks  handsome.  As  the  dense  shade 
of  the  forest  recedes,  a  tree,  in  his  mind,  becomes  less  as- 
sociated with  wolves  and  bears,  swamps  and  agues ;  and 
gradually  he  conceives  the  desire  that  some  sheltering 
boughs  were  spread  between  his  roof  and  the  scorching 
rays  of  July's  sun.  His  object  now  is  to  plant  the  tree 
that  will  grow  the  fastest ;  and,  consequently,  the  finest 
sons  of  the  forest  are  seldom  those  that  he  patronises.  In 
the  older  districts  of  the  Union  that  I  have  visited,  espe- 
cially in  Pennsylvania,  I  have  admired  trees  of  a  very 
noble  character,  surrounding  the  dwelling  of  the  farmer, 
or  dropped  through  his  fields  as  a  shelter  for  the  cattle. 

Of  the  American  oak,  there  are  upwards  of  thirty  va- 
rieties ;  almost  as  many  of  the  walnut ;  several  of  the  elm, 
which  is  a  tree  of  very  uncommon  majesty.  The  syca- 
more of  the  Ohio,  which  can  receive  half  a  regiment  of 
soldiers  within  its  trunk,  seems  to  realize  the  wildest  fa- 
bles of  marvel-loving  travellers.  The  maple  and  the 
hickory  are  also  remarkable  ;  the  former  for  its  elegance, 
and  the  latter  for  the  rich  colour  of  its  foliage ;  the  ash  ; 
the  white  pine,  rising  in  pre-eminent  grandeur  ;  the  scent- 
breathing  cedar ;  the  graceful  acacia ;  the  wild  cherry, 


FOREST  SCENERY.  145 

with  its  beautiful  fruit  clustered  on  the  stalk  like  currants ; 
and,  among  the  flowering  trees,  the  sweet  locust,  breath- 
ing the  breath  of  violets ;  the  catalpa,  with  its  umbrageous 
leaves,  and  luxuriant  blossoms ;  the  majestic  tulip,  point- 
ing up  his  clean,  and  unencumbered  shaft,  and  throwing 
down  his  branches  heavy  with  polished  foliage  and  mil- 
lions of  flowers.  Indeed  the  varieties  of  the  native  trees 
are  almost  endless  ;  and  when  cultivated  with  care,  and 
arranged  with  taste,  may  even  surpass  in  majesty  the 
woodland  tribe  of  England. 

It  has  struck  me  that  the  American  trees  (I  speak  of 
them  when  reared  for  ornament,  or  dropped  by  the  hand 
of  nature  with  more  taste  perhaps  than  art  could  rival,) 
have  a  character  which  might  be  termed  one  of  simple 
majesty,  while  those  of  England  are  remarkable  for  a  ro- 
mantic or  even  savage  grandeur.  The  gnarled  oak,  his 
boughs  covered  with  lichens,  thrust  forth  horizontally  but 
grotesquely,  stands  beneath  the  watery  skies  of  England, 
a  hardy  veteran,  nerved  to  brave  the  elements,  and  op- 
posing his  broad  and  shaggy  forehead  to  the  storm,  as 
reckless  of  its  fury,  and  indifferent  alike  to  the  smiles  and 
the  frowns  of  heaven.  Vegetation  here  being  much  more 
rapid,  the  American  tree  puts  forth  longer  shoots,  spring- 
ing upwards  to  the  sun,  with  a  stem  straight,  smooth,  and 
silvery,  and  flinging  forth  his  sweeping  branches  to  wave 
with  every  gust.  This  perhaps  applies  more  peculiarly 
to  the  elm,  a  tree  of  singular  grace  and  beauty,  but  an- 
swers, more  or  less,  to  all  the  nobler  sons  of  the  forest. 
In  general,  the  wood  of  this  country  is  of  superior  stature 
to  that  of  our  island,  but  is  charged  with  fewer  branches, 
or  more  properly  speaking,  twigs.  Under  an  oak  in  Eng- 
land, you  can  barely  see  the  winter's  heaven ;  here,  when 
stripped  of  its  foliage,  the  most  rugged  tree  would  afford 
no  shelter.  There  is,  in  short,  less  wood,  or  rather  it 
shoots  upwards  more  in  straight  lines ;  the  foliage  is  magni- 
ficent, and  wonderfully  varied  in  its  shades.  You  will 

21 


110  FOREST  SCENERY. 

remember  the  glories  of  the  autumnal  tints :  their  richness 
defies  the  pen  or  the  pencil. 

The  character  of  the  American  forest,  you  are,  perhaps, 
familiar  with  :  springing  out  of  a  virgin  soil,  and  struggling 
upwards  to  catch  the  sun's  glance,  the  steins  are  frequent- 
ly of  enormous  stature ;  and,  from  the  dryness  of  the  at- 
mosphere, wholly  free  from  moss  and  lichen.  I  have  al- 
ready noticed  the  absence  of  brush,  and  the  carpet  of  ver- 
dure that  covers  the  soil ;  where  this  is  firm  and  dry,  no- 
thing can  be  more  pleasing  than  to  wander  among  these 
primeval  shades ;  —  at  least  those  will  think  so  whose 
eyes  are  not  palled  with  their  eternal  contemplation. 
When  the  first  gloom  of  evening  "  deepens  the  horror  of 
the  woods,"  it  is  finely  impressive  to  thread  their  dark 
mazes,  and  greatly  interesting  when  the  night  closes  in  to 
catch  the  glimmer  of  some  settler's  fire,  and,  as  you  ap- 
proach, to  see  its  rays  streaming  across  your  path  from  his 
cabin  door. 

During  the  summer  nights,  a  log  hut  often  presents  a 
very  singular  appearance.  It  is  not  unusual,  when  the 
hot  months  set  in,  to  clear  away  the  mud  which  stops  the 
interstices  between  the  logs,  as  they  are  raised  horizontal- 
ly upon  each  other,  so  as  to  allow  a  free  passage  to  the 
external  air.  In  the  darkness  of  the  forest,  the  light 
streaming  through  these  crevices,  gives  to  the  cabin  the 
appearance  of  being  either  illuminated  or  on  fire.  A 
painter  might  then  often  pause  to  consider  the  family 
group  assembled  in  the  little  dwelling  :  the  father  resting 
after  the  day's  fatigues  —  his  prattling  urchins  around  him, 
while  the  busy  matron  prepares  the  evening  meal.  In- 
sensible were  the  heart  that  could  pass  without  emotion 
this  little  scene  of  human  industry  and  human  happiness. 
The  cotter's  evening  light  is  interesting  every  where  ;  but 
doubly  so  when  it  shines  in  a  world  of  solitude  such  as 
this. 


147 


LETTER  XII. 


INDIAN  VILLAGE.  —  OBSERVATIONS  ON  THE  INDIANS. CON* 

DUCT   OF  THE  AMERICAN  GOVERNMENT  TOWARDS  THEM. 

Genesee,  August,  1819. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

S  OME  days  since  we  made  two  of  a  large  party  to  the 
high  banks  of  the  Genesee,  and  in  our  return  visited  an 
Indian  village.  The  huts  were  scattered  wildly  over  a 
little  hill  jutting  forward  from  the  forest,  and  commanding 
a  magnificent  prospect  down  the  course  of  the  river. 

These  Indians  had  more  of  the  character  of  the  lords  of 
the  wilderness  than  any  I  had  yet  seen  ;  but  even  these 
are  a  wasting  remnant  that  must  soon  disappear  with  the 
receding  forest.  Notwithstanding  their  frequent  and 
friendly  intercourse  with  their  white  neighbours,  they 
keep  their  language  pure,  and  their  manners  and  habits 
with  but  little  variation.  The  richness  of  the  soil,  or  the 
beauty  of  the  spot,  seems  to  have  attached  them  to  the 
neighbourhood,  as  they  refuse  to  sell  .heir  patrimony, 
though  every  year  makes  the  game  more  shy,  and,  conse- 
quently, the  business  of  the  hunter  more  doubtful  and  toil- 
some. 

The  falling  greatness  of  this  people,  disappearing  from  the 
face  of  their  native  soil,  at  first  strikes  mournfully  on  the  ima- 
gination ;  but  such  regrets  are  scarcely  rational.  The  sa- 
vage, with  all  his  virtues,  and  he  has  some  virtues,  is  still  a 
savage,  nobler,  doubtless,  than  many  who  boast  themselves 


' 


148  OBSERVATIONS  ON 

civilized  beings ;  nobler  far  than  any  race  of  slaves  who  hug 
their  chains  while  they  sit  in  proud  contemplation  of  days 
of  glory  that  have  set  in  night ;  but  still  holding  a  lower 
place  in  creation  than  men  who,  to  the  proud  spirit  of  in- 
dependence, unite  the  softer  feelings  that  spring  only  with- 
in the  pale  of  civilized  life.  The  increase  and  spread  of 
the  white  population  at  the  expense  of  the  red,  is,  as  it 
were,  the  triumph  of  peace  over  violence ;  it  is  Minerva's 
olive  bearing  the  palm  from  Neptune's  steed. 

Not  that  the  aborigines  of  this  fine  country  have  never 
had  to  complain  of  wrong  and  violence,  offered  by  the  in- 
vaders of  the  soil.  The  Indian,  as  he  looks  mournfully 
upon  the  scattered  remnant  of  his  once  powerful  tribe, 
recounts  a  long  list  of  injuries,  received  by  his  ancestors 
from  those  strangers  whom  they  were  at  first  willing  to  re- 
ceive as  friends  and  brothers.  Though  he  should  acknow- 
ledge, that  the  right  by  which  the  early  settlers  were  will- 
ing to  hold  a  portion  of  their  territory,  was  that  of  pur- 
chase, he  may  justly  complain,  that  the  sale  had  little  in 
it  of  fair  reciprocity,  which  was  often  rather  compelled 
than  proposed.  The  first  contracts,  indeed,  were  peace- 
ful ;  entered  into  with  tolerable  fairness  on  the  one  side, 
and  with  willingness  on  the  other ;  but  it  was  not  in  human 
nature,  that  the  native  inhabitants  should  long  view  with- 
out jealousy  the  growing  strength  of  new  corners,  whose 
knowledge,  and  cultivation  of  the  peaceful  arts,  secured 
a  ratio  of  increase  to  their  population  so  far  beyond  that 
of  the  wild  aborigines ;  and  whose  hardihood,  scarce  in- 
ferior to  that  of  the  savage,  marked  them  as  such  danger- 
ous antagonists.  Actuated  by  this  jealousy,  the  massacre 
of  the  various  colonies,  thinly  scattered  along  the  shores 
of  the  Atlantic,  was  often  attempted  ;  and,  had  these  sa- 
vage measures  been  taken  in  concert  by  the  different 
tribes  and  nations,  the  extermination  of  the  obnoxious  in- 
truders  must  have  been  effected.  Hostile  feelings,  so  na- 
turally aroused  on  the  one  side,  were  soon  as  naturally 

g 

- 


THE  INDIANS.  149 

aroused  on  the  other.  In  these  earlier  acts  of  aggression, 
were  we  to  allow  nothing  to  the  jealous  passions,  com- 
mon to  the  Indians  as  men,  and  to  the  wild  passions,  pe- 
culiar to  them  as  savages,  we  might,  perhaps,  find  more 
cause  to  charge  the  natives  with  cruelty  and  treachery, 
than  the  European  settlers  with  injustice. 

In  considering  the  sufferings  of  those  hardy  adventurers, 
we  are  filled  with  astonishment,  as  well  as  pity  and  admi- 
ration. How  powerful  the  charm  of  independence  to  re- 
concile man  to  such  a  course  of  hardship ;  to  lead  him 
forth  from  the  pale  of  civilized  life,  to  seek  his  subsistence 
among  wolves,  and  bears,  and  savages ;  now  exposed  to 
Siberian  rigours,  and  then  to  African  heats ;  enduring  fa- 
mine, and  breathing  unwholesome  exhalations ;  lighting 
his  nightly  fire  to  ward  off  the  attack  of  the  wild  beast, 
and  apprehending  from  every  thicket  the  winged  arrow  of 
the  Indian  !  Well  may  we  look  to  find  a  proud  and  vi- 
gorous nation  in  the  descendants  of  such  hardy  proge- 
nitors. 

The  attacks  of  the  Indians  usually  ended  to  their  dis- 
advantage ;  weakened  their  numbers,  and  forced  them  to 
make  concessions.  By  each  succeeding  treaty,  the  bounda- 
ries receded ;  and,  as  the  new  people  gained  in  strength 
what  the  natives  lost,  the  latter  became  as  much  exposed 
to  European  rapacity,  as  the  former  had  ever  been  to  In- 
dian cruelty.  The  contention  for  mastery  between  the 
French  and  English,  which,  had  the  natives  been  united 
in  their  councils,  might  possibly  have  afforded  them  the 
opportunity  of  crushing  both,  only  hurried  forward  their 
own  ruin.  The  subsequent  policy  of  the  British  govern- 
ment, so  magnificently  denounced  by  the  generous  Chat- 
ham, which,  during  her  struggle  with  the  revolted  colonies, 
raised  the  war-whoop  of  their  savage  neighbours,  was  the 
cause  of  additional  ruin  to  the  native  tribes ;  whose  num- 
bers were  always  thinned,  whatever  might  be  the  issue  of 
tljeir  incursions. 


150  OBSERVATIONS  ON 

After  the  establishment  of  American  independence,  the 
Indians  soon  felt  the  effect  of  the  wise  and  humane  sys- 
tem of  policy,  adopted  by  the  federal  government.  The 
treaties  entered  into  with  the  natives,  have  never  been  vio- 
lated by  her  sanction  or  connivance,  while  she  has  fre- 
quently exerted  her  influence  to  preserve,  or  to  make 
peace  between  contending  tribes.  She  has  sought  to  pro- 
tect them  from  the  impositions  of  traders  and  land  jobbers, 
and  to  lure  them  to  the  cultivation  of  the  peaceful  arts. 
Among  the  most  useful  of  the  government  regulations,  are 
those  which  deprive  individuals  of  the  power  of  entering 
into  land  contracts  with  the  Indians,  and  which  exclude 
spiritous  liquors  and  fire-arms  from  the  bartering  trade 
prosecuted  on  the  western  borders.  It  is  to  be  wished, 
that  the  Canada  government  would  equally  enforce  the 
latter  regulation.  Intoxication  has  proved  a  yet  worse 
scourge  to  the  wild  natives,  than  the  small  pox.  It  not 
only  whets  their  ferocity,  but  hurries  them  into  the  worst 
vices,  and  consequently  the  worst  diseases.  While  blan- 
kets, wearing  apparel,  implements  of  husbandry,  peltry, 
&c..  are  the  American  articles  of  barter  for  the  game  and 
furs  of  the  Indian  hunters,  those  of  the  traders  of  the 
northwest  are  chiefly  spiritous  liquors,  and  fire-arms. 
This  secures  to  them  the  preference  in  the  Indian  market, 
where  more  furs  will  be  given  for  a  keg  of  whiskey,  or  a 
musket,  than  for  a  whole  bale  of  woollen  goods.  But 
this  is  a  short-sighted  policy.  The  northern  tribes,  armed 
with  muskets,  and  intoxicated  with  liquor,  go  to  war  with 
each  other,  or  else  with  the  more  southern  tribes ;  which 
last  they  have,  in  many  cases,  almost,  if  not  altogether, 
exterminated.  The  intrigues  of  European  traders,  and 
the  species  of  goods  exchanged  by  them  with  the  savages, 
have,  of  late  years,  done  more  towards  the  extermination 
of  the  aborigines,  by  war  and  disease,  than  has  even  the 
rapid  spread  and  increase  of  the  white  population,  by  the 
felling  of  the  forest,  and  destruction  of  the  game.  The 


THE   INDIANS.  J51 

last  cause  operates  only  on  the  borders ;  but  the  others  are 
felt  to  the  Pacific',  and  the  icy  barrier  of  the  north.  The 
Indians  are  now  disappearing  from  the  face  of  the  earth, 
by  the  silent,  but  sure  operation  of  corruption  and  misery : 
wherever  the  Canadian  trader  pierces,  he  carries  poison 
with  him,  and  thus  is  at  once  working  the  destruction  of 
the  native  hunters,  and  of  the  rich  trade  which  he  prose- 
cutes with  them. 

The  Americans  are  the  only  people  who  can  ultimate- 
ly benefit  by  the  destruction  of  the  tribes,  and  therefore  it 
is  highly  to  the  credit  of  their  government  to  have  placed 
the  trade  under  such  regulations  as  are  calculated  to  pro- 
mote the  interest  of  the  aborigines.  The  restrictive  laws 
upon  the  Indian  trade  are  carefully  enforced.  Govern- 
ment agents,  with  fixed  salaries,  are  stationed  in  the  line 
of  forts  protecting  the  western  frontier,  to  whom  appeals 
can  always  be  made  by  the  Indians.  Under  the  eye  of 
these  agents,  trading  establishments  are  conducted,  in 
which  a  fair  and  stated  price  is  laid  upon  the  American 
articles  of  barter.  This  has  the  effect  of  constraining  the 
private  traders  to  honesty ;  who,  of  course,  will  find  no 
market,  if  they  do  not  sell  on  equal  terms  with  the  govern- 
ment establishments.  The  price  fixed  by  the  government, 
places  on  the  prime  cost  what  is  sufficient  to  defray  the 
expenses  of  the  establishment,  which  is  conducted  on  the 
strictest  principles  of  American  economy. 

The  humane  policy  of  the  American  government  in 
this  matter,  may  be  supposed  to  have  had  in  view  the 
protection  of  the  white  settlements  on  the  frontier,  as  well 
as  of  the  native  tribes.  The  fact  is,  however,  that  the 
introduction  of  distilled  spirits  and  fire-arms  among  th« 
latter  occasions  them  rather  to  make  war  upon  each  other, 
than  upon  the  distant  whites.  A  quarrel  in  their  feasts 
produces  murder,  and  this  is  seldom  expiated  but  by 
the  blood  of  the  aggressor,  and  of  his  tribe.  Some  of  the 
savage  incursions  on  the  wrstorn  frontier  have  originated 


152  OBSERVATIONS  OiN 

in  disputes  between  a  white  and  a  red  hunter  ;  but  such 
quarrels  have  easily  been  healed  by  the  intervention  of 
the  federal  government.  The  cruel  Indian  wars,  which 
have  occasionally  desolated  the  frontier,  massacreing 
whole  families  of  women,  children,  and  infants  at  the 
breast,  have  been  invariably  produced  by  the  machina- 
tions of  Florida,  or  Canadian  traders,  or  of  European 
emissaries.  The  policy  of  America  upon  these  occasions 
has  proved  rather  humane  than  interested.  Her  friendly 
Indians,  more  peaceful,  and  less  trained  in  the  use  of  the 
musket,  have  proved  feeble  allies  ;  and  often,  by  drawing 
upon  her  for  protection  from  their  ferocious  neighbours, 
have  turned  the  tide  of  their  enemies'  fury  upon  her 
borders. 

There  are,  in  many  of  the  states,  some  sorry  remnants 
of  the  aborigines,  settled  down  as  cultivators  of  the  soil ; 
and  yet  this  character  can  hardly  be  applied  to  them,  so 
little  skill,  or,  what  is  the  same  thing,  so  little  interest  do 
they  exhibit  in  pursuits  so  opposed  to  the  habits  of  their 
ancestors. 

In  the  sale  of  territory,  made  at  different  times  by  the 
native  tribes  to  the  states,  and  now  to  the  national  Con- 
gress, some  reservations  of  particular  tracts  have  been 
stipulated  for  by  the  original  proprietors.  As  the  white 
population  flows  up  to  these  districts,  the  game,  of  course, 
takes  flight,  and  the  wilder  hunters  take  flight  with  it. 
The  Indians  are  then  frequently  disposed  to  move  off  in 
a  phalanx,  and  to  make  a  final  sale  of  their  landed  pro- 
perty. Frequently,  however,  by  the  humane  intervention 
of  the  legislature,  or  of  philanthropic  individuals,  the  more 
peaceful,  which,  with  the  savage,  usually  signifies  the 
more  lazy,  are  induced  to  remain,  and  gradually  to  fore- 
go the  occupation  of  the  chase  for  that  of  husbandry. 
Thus  it  is,  that,  in  the  vast  field  of  the  white  population, 
now  stretched  from  the  Atlantic  to  the  Missouri,  we  find 


THE  INDIANS.  153 

some  little  specks  of  the  red  Indian,  scattered  like  the 
splinters  of  a  wreck  upon  the  surface  of  the  ocean. 

The  issue  of  these  experiments   has  invariably  been 
such  as  to  stamp  them  with  benevolence,  rather  than  wis- 
dom.    It  is,  indeed,  truly  melancholy  to  see  what  slender 
success  has  hitherto  attended  all  the  attempts,  whether 
on  the  part  of  the  legislature,  societies  or  individuals,  to 
improve  the    condition  of  these  half-civilized    natives. 
Filth  and  sloth  are  in  their  cabins^;  sometimes  supersti- 
tion, but  very  rarely  knowledge  in  their  minds.     With 
scarcely  an  exception,  the  Indian,  on  emerging  from  the 
savage  state,  sinks,  instead  of  rising  in  the  scale  of  being. 
There  are  two  principal  causes  to  which,  perhaps,  this 
may  be  attributed ;   first,  that  the  nobler  the  spirit,  the 
more  attached  is  it  to  its  race,  and  to  what  it  conceives  to 
be  the  dignity  of  that  race.     Such  fly  the  approach  of  ci- 
vilization, and  bury  themselves  deeper  in  the  forest,  iden- 
tifying happiness  with  liberty,  and  liberty  with  the  wide 
earth's  range.     Thus  it  is  only  the  more  tame  and  worth- 
less who  are  submitted  to  the  experiments  of  the  humane 
or  the  curious. 

But  there  is  another  cause  which  has  operated  gene- 
rally to  prevent  the  approach  of  the  Indian  habits  to  those 
of  the  whites,  they  have  been  each  too  violently  opposed 
to  the  other.  Had  the  red  man  been  less  savage,  or  the 
white  man  less  civilized,  each  would  have  yielded  a  little 
to  the  other,  and  the  habits  of  the  two  people,  and  gra- 
dually the  two  people  themselves  have,  in  some  measure, 
assimilated  and  amalgamated.*  In  the  southern  conti- 

*  It  may  seem  strange  after  this  to  conjecture,  that,  had  the  North- Ameri- 
can continent  been  colonized  entirely  by  French,  this  would  have  happened. 
That  people,  though  in  a  relish  for  many  of  the  ornamental  arts,  seemingly 
further  advanced  in  mental  cultivation  than  their  English  neighbours,  yet 
from  their  inferior  acquaintance  with  the  science  of  government,  and  from 
their  being  less  practised  in  the  exercise  of  steady  industry,  there  has  always 
been  a  less  gap  between  them  and  the  wild  hunter,  than  between  the  latter 
and  the  English.  The  French  have  always  lived  on  more  friendly  term* 

22 


154  OBSERVATIONS  ON 

nent,  we  see  that  the  haughty  and  cruel  Spaniard  often 
condescended  to  mix  his  blood  with  that  of  his  conquered 
vassals ;  and  it  is  probable,  that  many  of  the  early  ad- 
venturers consulted  their  pride,  as  well  as  their  interest, 
in  uniting  themselves  to  the  daughters  of  tributary  or 
slaughtered  Incas.  It  is  this  mixed  race,  remarkable  no 
less  for  their  intelligence  than  their  high  spirit,  \vlio  are 
now  working  out  the  deliverance  of  their  country  from 
the  odious  thraldom  of  Spain,  and  who  are  destined,  per- 
haps, in  the  course  of  a  few  generations,  to  rival,  in 
strength  and  civilization,  the  proudest  empires  of  the  old 
hemisphere. 

The  marriage  of  Rolfe,  a  companion  of  the  heroic  fa- 
ther of  Virginia,  with  the  amiable  Pocahontas,  is  almost 
the  only  instance  on  record  of  a  legal  engagement  con- 
tracted by  the  early  settlers  with  the  women  of  this  coun- 
try. From  the  moral  habits  and  religious  principles  of 
the  former,  it  is  probable,  that  illicit  intercourse  was  very 
rarely  indulged  in ;  where  this  might  occur,  the  offspring 
would,  of  necessity  (as  well  as  by  the  Indian  customs) 
remain  with  the  mother,  and  become  incorporated  with 
her  tribe.  The  aborigines  having  remained  in  statu  quo, 
or,  if  any  thing,  retrograded  in  the  scale  of  being,  while 
the  new  population  has  been  making  farther  advances  in 
civilization,  it  is  little  surprising  that  an  instance  is  hardly 
to  be  found  of  a  mixture  between  the  two  races. 

To  account  for  the  untameable  spirit  of  the  wild  Indian, 
or  the  seemingly  unimprovable  dispositions  of  the  half-do- 
mesticated Indian,  it  is  not  necessary  that  we  should 
imagine  any  distinctions  implanted  by  nature  between  the 
red  and  the  white.  The  savage  is  not  brought  within  the 

with  the  natives  than  cither  the  English  or  the  Anglo-American.  Many 
wild  Indians  have  a  mixture  of  French  blood  in  their  veins  ;  and,  in  the  mi- 
serable remains  of  the  old  French  settlements  in  the  western  territory,  is 
found  a  mongrel  population,  but  little  removed  from  the  half-civilized  sa- 
vage. 


THE  INDIANS.  155 

pale  of  civilized  life  in  a  day,  nor  a  year,  nor  a  generation : 
ages  are  required  to  mould  him  by  imperceptible  degrees, 
as  the  water  smooths  the  rock  over  which  it  flows ;  the  hand 
of  nature  must  work,  not  that  of  art ;  it  is  circumstance, 
not  precept,  that  must  operate  on  his  mind,  and  lead  him, 
unknown  to  himself,  to  submit  to  constraints,  and  to  yield 
to  the  sway  of  feelings  which  his  ancestors  would  have 
spurned.  There  is  a  charm  in  the  hunter's  life  to  which 
even  the  civilized  man  is  not  insensible ;  it  speaks  at  once 
to  the  imagination,  is  felt  in  the  nerves  and  the  spirits,  sets 
fate  at  defiance,  cancels  the  list  of  the  moral  ills,  and  in 
the  very  increase  of  the  physical,  braces  the  frame  to  bear, 
and  the  spirit  to  mock  at  them.  It  would  need  wiser 
teachers  than  were  easily  found  to  uproot  the  associations 
that  are  fixed  in  his  mind,  to  break  the  habits  that  form  a 
part  of  his  existence,  and  that  have  given  the  bent  to  his 
character ;  but,  even  if  such  teachers  could  be  found,  they 
must  go  to  the  savage,  not  bring  the  savage  to  them ;  they 
must  not  place  him  in  a  world  whose  feelings  and  habits 
are  as  far  removed  from  his,  as  the  east  from  the  west ; 
whose  virtues  he  cannot  understand,  but  whose  vices  he 
xvill  certainly  imitate. 

It  has  been  remarked,  that  there  is  no  instance  of  any 
Indian  youth,  who  has  been  educated  in  the  colleges  of 
these  states,  having  risen  to  distinction,  or  assumed  a 
place  in  civilized  society.  We  must  bear  in  mind,  first, 
that  not  one  in  a  thousand  of  any  race  whatsoever  is 
gifted  by  nature  so  as  to  become  distinguished.  Experi- 
ments of  this  kind  have  hitherto  been  few,  and  we  must 
draw  many  blanks  in  a  lottery  before  we  can  draw  a  prize. 
Secondly,  it  may  be  supposed  that  the  prouder  spirits,  who 
are  usually  the  stronger  intellects,  have  been  those  who 
spurned  the  restraint  imposed  by  habits  and  laws  foreign  to 
those  of  their  race,  and  who  fled  from  the  refinements  of 
strangers  to  the  savage  woods,  and  the  savage  ways  of 
their  fathers.  Where  is  the  young  mind  of  vigour  and 


OBSERVATIONS  ON 

enthusiasm  that  is  not  curious  to  trace  the  character  oi 
those  who  gave  it  being,  and  is  not  prone  to  ascribe  to 
it  something  noble  and  singularly  excellent  ?  They  who 
have  known  the  feelings  of  an  orphan,  when  in  a  house 
and  country  foreign  to  his  race,  how  he  yearns  to  hear  of 
those  who  nursed  his  infancy,  but  whose  voice  and  fea- 
tures are  lost  to  his  memory ;  how  he  muses  on  them  in 
solitude,  calls  upon  their  names  in  moments  of  distress, 
and  idly  fancies  that  fortune  could  never  have  wrung  from 
him  a  tear,  had  they  lived  to  cherish  and  protect  him  ; 
they  whose  fate  it  has  been  to  know  such  feelings,  will 
easily  conceive  how  the  young  Indian,  alone  among 
strangers,  must  look  wistfully  to  the  wilderness,  where  his 
tribe  tread  the  haunts  of  their  fathers,  free  as  the  winds, 
and  wild  as  the  game  they  pursue.  I  know  not  if  the  cir- 
cumstances of  my  own  early  life  have  tended  to  make  me 
sympathize  peculiarly  with  such  a  situation,  but  the  posi- 
tion of  the  Indian  youth,  as  an  alien  and  an  orphan, 
among  his  American  guardians  and  play-mates,  strikes 
me  as  singularly  affecting. 

If  we  look  to  those  feeble  remnants  of  the  aborigines, 
who,  here  and  there,  have  settled  down  in  the  states,  under 
protection  of  their  laws,  and  marvel  to  see  them  dwindling 
away  from  the  face  of  the  soil,  a  prey  to  the  pestilence  of 
intemperance  and  sloth,  in  spite  of  all  the  efforts  to  reclaim 
them,  we  may,  perhaps,  without  calling  in  doubt  the  judi- 
ciousness of  these  efforts,  perceive  that  they  are  counteract- 
ed by  circumstances  beyond  the  control  either  of  the  legis- 
lature, or  of  individuals.  It  is  invariably  seen  that  the  sa- 
vage, when  removed  into  the  centre  of  a  civilized  world,  ac- 
quires a  taste  for  the  coarser  indulgences  that  he  finds  within 
his  reach,  before  he  can  be  taught  to  engage  in  irksome  em- 
ployments that  promise  only  moderate  and  future  good. 
Industry  and  temperance  are  virtues  of  calculation,  and 
the  savage  is  unused  to  calculate.  When  removed  from 
the  forest,  the  Indian  has  lost'his  accustomed  incentives  to 


THE  INDIANS.  157 

exertion,  those  more  hidden  ones  that  surrounded  him  he 
does  not  see,  or,  if  pointed  out  to  him,  does  not  feel.  His 
old  virtues  are  no  longer  in  demand,  and  a  length  of  years 
were  requisite  to  lead  him  to  adopt  new  ones.  Ere  this 
season  comes,  his  slender  and  decreasing  numbers  will 
probably  be  reduced  to  a  cypher.  In  passing  lately 
through  the  Oneida  settlement,  we  saw  many  cabins  de- 
serted, and  the  inhabitants,  who  still  haunted  the  remain- 
der, dragging  on  a  drowsy  existence,  painfully  contrasted 
with  the  life  and  vigour  of  the  white  population  that  is  flow- 
ing past  them.  In  many  parts  of  the  old  states,  such  settle- 
ments have  totally  disappeared,  so  gradually  and  silently, 
that  none  can  tell  when  or  how. 

I  cannot  help  remarking,  however,  upon  a  circumstance 
which  may  be  supposed  to  have  considerably  impeded  the 
exertions  of  the  humanizers  of  the  Indian.  Religion  has 
been  too  generally  employed  as  the  first  agent.  A  prac- 
tical philosopher  were  the  best  tutor  in  this  case.  The 
more  beautiful,  not  to  say  the  more  abstruse  the  religion, 
the  more  should  the  mind  be  prepared  to  receive  it.  The 
untutored  ears  of  the  Indians  are  assailed  by  teachers  of  all 
kinds.  The  Friends  and  Moravians  are  undoubtedly  the 
best,  and  their  exertions  are  sometimes  partially  repaid, 
and  even  when  unsuccessful,  humanity  is  still  their  debtor. 
But  there  are  sects  which  this  world  shares  in  com- 
mon with  the  old,  who,  considered  by  themselves,  are 
harmless,  and  so  far  as  intention  goes,  virtuous,  but  at- 
tending to  the  effect  they  work  upon  others,  the  weak  and 
the  ignorant,  are  as  mischievous  members  as  a  communi- 
ty can  well  be  troubled  with. 

It  is  strange,  in  this  nation  of  practical  philosophers,  to 
find,  here  and  there,  a  society  of  the  wildest  fanatics,  and 
a  perambulating  teacher,  compared  to  whom  the  wild- 
est followers  of  Wesley  or  Whitfield  were  rational. — 
These  strange  expounders  of  the  simple  lessons  of  Christ 
are  ever  most  zealously  employed  in  doubly  confounding; 


158  OBSERVATIONS    OS 

understandings  already  bewildered  ;  in  making  the  igno- 
rant foolish,  and  the  foolish  insane.  Their  more  frequent 
victims  are  the  poor  blacks,  who  are  sometimes  seen  as- 
sembled in  crowds  round  one  of  these  teachers,  groaning 
and  gesticulating  like  Pythia  on  the  tripod.  Their  success 
on  the  whole  is  but  indifferent  among  the  Indians  ;  where 
they  fail  to  persuade,  they  probably  disgust,  or  perhaps 
only  astonish ;  and  though  these  last  are  the  best  of  t^ie 
three  consequences,  it  were  doubtless  as  well  that  they 
were  secured  from  all. 

I  suspect  that  the  doctrines,  or,  more  properly,  absurdi- 
ties of  these  wild  fanatics,  are  what  chiefly  arrest  the 
mental  advance  of  the  negro  in  these  northern  states,  and 
form  one  of  the  minor  causes  which  prevent  that  of  the 
savage.  Among  the  ignorant,  one  fool  can  work  more 
harm  than  twenty  wise  men  can  work  good ;  though  in- 
deed with  the  Indian,  it  is  doubtful  whether  the  wise  men, 
if  left  to  themselves,  could  work  much.  It  seems  that 
the  fate  of  the  aborigines  of  this  magnificent  country  is  go- 
verned by  immutable  laws,  which  no  efforts  of  man  can 
turn  aside.  They  appear  destined  to  dwindle  away  with 
the  forests  that  shelter  them,  and  soon  to  exist  only  in 
traditionary  lore,  or  in  the  wild  tale  of  some  wild  genius. 

Though  it  is  of  necessity  singularly  difficult  to  obtain 
any  accurate  knowledge  of  a  people  wholly  unacquainted 
with  the  arts,  and  possessed  of  no  other  means  of  retailing 
the  most  important  national  revolutions  than  that  of  oral 
tradition,  yet  the  persevering  labours  of  some  American 
citizens  and  literary  societies,  as  well  as  of  some  eminent 
European  travellers,  have  done  much  towards  elucidating 
the  past  as  well  as  present  condition  of  the  native  tribes. 
The  philosophical  society  of  Philadelphia  has  more  parti- 
cularly collected  much  valuable  information.* 

'  The  observations  of  the  amiable  missionary  John  Heckewelder  upon  the 
history,  manners,  and  customs  of  the  Six  Nations,  Delawares,  Mohicans,  &c., 
lately  published  at  the  request  of  that  society,  are  peculiarly  interesting. 


THE    INDIANS.  159 

It  is  certainly  greatly  desirable  that  some  just  know- 
ledge of  the  aborigines,  so  fast  disappearing  from  the  earth, 
should  rapidly  be  obtained.  Europeans  in  general,  may 
peruse  with  little  curiosity  the  legends  of  a  people  with 
whom  they  or  their  ancestors  were  never  placed  in  con- 
tact ;  but  with  Americans  they  must  ever  possess  a  national 
interest,  the  romance  of  which  will  gradually  increase 
with  their  increasing  antiquity. 

I  hope  I  do  not  send  you  in  this  letter  too  serious  a  dis- 
sertation. I  sometimes  fear  lest  I  answer  your  questions, 
and  those  of  *  *  *  *  with  too  much  detail,  and  at  other 
times  with  too  little.  You  must  allow  something  occa- 
sionally to  my  more  slender  stock  of  information  upon  one 
subject  than  another,  and  something  also  to  the  humour  of 
the  moment.  Farewell. 

Perhaps  he  may  be  accounted  somewhat  partial  to  his  wild  associates,  but 
his  statements  are  made  with  so  much  simplicity,  that  it  is  impossible  not  to 
receive  them  as  accurate.  This  distinguished  missionary  is  attached  to  the 
Moravian  establishment  of  Bethlebem  in  Pennsylvania.  The  Moravians  have 
peculiarly  distinguished  themselves,  not  merely  by  their  zeal  in  the  religious 
conversion  of  the  savages,  but  by  their  patient  and  judicious  exertions  to  lead 
them  to  the  cultivation  of  the  peaceful  art-;. 


160 


LETTER  XIII. 


DEPARTURE     FROM     GENESEE. FALLS      OF     THE     GENESEE 

RIVER. SINGULAR  BRIDGE. AMERICAN  INNS. OPENING 

OF  THE  POST  BAG. JOURNEY  TO  LEWISTON. CATARACT 

OF  NIAGARA. 

Niagara,  September,  1819. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

WE  left  Genesee  on  a  lovely  morning,  that  breathed  the 
first  freshness  of  autumn ;  our  conveyance  one  of  those 
light  wagons  universal  in  these  states  ;  many  a  kind  part- 
ing glance  we  threw  back  upon  the  fair  valley,  and  on  the 
roofs  which  sheltered  so  much  worth,  and  seemingly  so 
much  happiness. 

Our  route,  after  some  miles,  crossed  the  great  western 
road,  and  traced  the  course  of  the  Genesee  to  within 
four  miles  of  its  discharge  into  Ontario.     Here  the  river 
makes  three  considerable  falls.     At  the  head  of  the  first 
stands  the  nourishing  young  town  of  Rochester,  and  at 
the  head  of  the  third  one  of  minor  fame,  hight  Carthage. 
A  singular  fate  seems  to  pursue  the  latter  colony.     A 
farmer  with  whom  I  fell  into  conversation,  informed  me 
that  it  had  first  assumed  the  more  modest  appellation  of 
Clyde,  from  the  resemblance  that  some  travelled  settler 
had  discovered  between  the  neighbouring  fall  of  the  Ge- 
nesee and  that  of  the  Clyde  at  Stone  Byres ;  which  re- 
semblance, by-the-bye,  allowing  for  the  superior  dimen- 
sions of  the  American  river,  is  striking  enough.     After 
some  time  the  new  occupants  received  information  that 
there  existed  an  older  settlement  of  that  name  in  the  same 


CONFUSION  OF  NAMES,  It)] 

county ;  and,  to  rectify  the  confusion  that  this  occasioned 
in  the  post-office,  the  Scots  changed  themselves  into  Pu- 
nicians  ;  but  now,  delenda  est  Carthago ;  it  is  discovered 
that  there  are  two  more  infant  Carthages,  claiming  the 
right  of  primogeniture. 

There  is,  it  must  be  confessed,  the  strangest  confusion 
of  names  in  the  western  counties  of  this  state  that  inge- 
nuity could  well  imagine.  In  one  district,  you  have  all  the 
poets  from  Homer  to  Pope,  nay,  for  aught  I  know,  they 
come  down  to  Byron ;  in  another,  you  have  a  collection 
of  Roman  heroes;  in  a  third,  all  the  mighty  cities  of  the 
world,  from  the  great  Assyrian  empire  downwards ;  and, 
scattered  among  this  classic  confusion,  relics  of  the  Indian 
vocabulary,  which,  I  must  observe,  are  often  not  the  least 
elegant,  and  arc  indisputably  always  the  most  appropriate. 

For  the  Roman  heroes,  bad,  good,  and  indifferent,  who 
in  one  district  are  scattered  so  plentifully,  the  new  popu- 
lation is  indebted  to  a  land-surveyor,  and  a  classical  dic- 
tionary. Being  requested,  in  parcelling  out  the  lots,  to 
affix  a  name  to  them,  the  worthy  citizen,  more  practised 
in  mensuration  than  baptism,  shortly  found  his  ingenuity 
baffled,  and  in  despair  had  recourse  to  the  pages  of  Lem- 
priere. 

There  is  something  rather  amusing  in  finding  Cato  or 
Regulus  typified  by  a  cluster  of  wooden  houses ;  nor,  per- 
haps, are  the  old  worthies  so  much  disgraced  as  some  in- 
dignant scholars  might  imagine. 

I  met  with  one  name  on  my  route  which  somewhat 
surprised  me,  and  which  struck  me  as  yet  more  inappro- 
priate than  the  sonorous  titles  of  antiquity,  nor  was  I  ill 
pleased  to  learn  that  it  had  occasioned  some  demur  among 
the  settlers.  I  thought  that  I  had  left  Waterloo,  on  the 
other  side  of  the  Atlantic,  in  the  streets,  bridges,  waltzes, 
ribands,  hotels,  and  fly-coaches  of  Great  Britain  and  Ire- 
land. When  objections  were  made  to  the  founder  of  the 


162  THE  FALLri  OF  THE 

little  town  flourishing  under  this  appellationy  the  story 
goes,  that  lie  called  to  his  aid  the  stream  of  water  which 
turned  the  wheel  of  his  mill,  gravely  affirming,  that  he 
had  that  in  his  eye,  and  not  tlie  battle  in  his  thoughts, 
when  he  christened  the  settlement.  "  The  name  speaks 
for  itself,"  said  he,  with  a  humourous  gravity  peculiar  to 
his  native  district  of  New-England  —  "  Water-\oo."  If 
the  name  did  not  speak  for  itself,  it  was  impossible  not  to 
let  him  speak  for  it ;  and  so  his  neighbours  turned  away 
laughing,  and  the  title  of  Waterloo  stands  more  undis- 
puted than  that  of  poor  Carthage. 

The  falls  of  the  Genesee  are  well  worth  going  fifty  mile? 
out  of  your  way  to  look  at.  The  first  is  a  noble  cascade 
of  ninety  feet.  Seen  from  the  bottom,  (to  get  to  which 
we  had  to  traverse  a  marsh  and  a  score  of  mill-streams.) 
T  have  since  thought  is  a  sort  of  miniature  of  Niagara ; — 
but  this  is  wofully  comparing  small  things  to  great.  It  is, 
however,  a  lovely  sheet  of  water,  and  truly  grand  when 
you  have  not  seen  the  wonder  of  nature  that  is  now  roar- 
ing in  rny  ears.  I  believe  we  should  have  enjoyed  the 
scene  more,  if  the  swamp,  and  the  slime,  and  the  mud, 
had  not  suggested  rattlesnakes  to  the  fancy  of  my  com- 
panion. The  apprehension  was  every  way  groundless ; 
at  least  we  saw  no  rattlesnakes  ;  and  these  reptiles,  when 
seen,  I  believe  are  seldom  seen  in  mud,  but  among  rocks 
moist  with  clear  water. 

The  second  fall  is  inconsiderable  compared  to  that 
either  above  or  below.  The  third,  though  not  upwards  of 
eighty  feet,  is  the  most  picturesque  of  the  whole.  The 
effect  is,  at  present,  singularly  heightened  by  a  stupen- 
dous bridge,  thrown  across  the  chasm,  just  below  the  basin 
of  the  fall,  in  the  manner  of  that  over  the  Wear  at  Sun- 
derland.  The  chord  of  the  arch,  as  I  was  informed,  is 
upwards  of  300  feet ;  the  perpendicular,  from  the  centre 
to  the  river,  250.  We  were  desirous  of  viewing  it  from 
the  bottom  of  the  chasm ;  but  to  do  this  it  seemed  neces- 


GENESEE  RIVER.  163 

sary  to  go  two  miles  farther  down  the  river  to  seek  a  boat, 
which  even  then,  we  were  assured,  it  would  be  but  a 
chance  if  we  found.  To  descend  to  this  spot  and  wait 
this  chance,  daylight  would  hardly  have  served  us.  To 
see  what  we  could,  we  scrambled  a  fourth  of  the  way 
down,  first  by  means  of  the  wood- work  of  the  bridge,  and 
then  by  advancing  cautiously  along  the  shelving  edge  of 
the  precipice,  resting  our  weight  on  one  hand,  until  we 
reached  an  acute  angle,  formed  by  the  roots  of  a  blasted 
pine,  which  afforded  us  a  narrow  footing,  while  the  bro- 
ken stem  yielded  us  support. 

Having  assumed  this  position,  which,  had  we  duly  con- 
sidered we  should  perhaps  not  have  ventured  upon,  we 
gazed  up  and  down  with  a  sensation  of  terror,  that  I  do 
not  remember  to  have  felt  in  an  equal  degree  more  than 
once  in  my  life.  Beneath  us,  on  either  hand,  the  preci- 
pice now  shelved  perpendicularly,  or  rather  we  were  pro- 
jected over  it,  so  that  a  pebble  would  have  dropped  into 
the  gulf  of  water  below.  To  the  left,  we  looked  upon 
the  falling  river ;  beneath  us,  was  the  basin,  broad,  deep, 
and  finely  circular ;  opposite,  the  precipice  answering  to 
that  we  stood  upon ;  on  our  right  was  the  bridge,  suspend- 
ed as  it  were  in  mid  air.  We  were  on  a  level  with  the 
spring  of  the  arch,  and  I  shuddered  to  observe  that,  on  the 
opposite  side,  projecting  over  the  precipice,  the  beams 
which  sustained  it  seemed  to  rest  on  a  hair's  breadth. 
Tracing  also  the  semicircle  with  my  eye,  I  perceived  that 
it  was  considerably  strained,  about  20  feet  on  the  same 
side  from  the  centre.  Afterwards,  on  crossing  the  bridge, 
we  found  several  heavy  logs  placed  over  the  spot  to  pre- 
vent the  springing  of  the  arch.  You  cannot  conceive  the 
horror  with  which  we  gazed  upwards  on  its  tremendous 
span.  After  a  while,  it  appeared  as  if  in  motion  ;  and  the 
impulse  was  irresistible  which  led  us  to  shut  our  eyes,  and 
shrink  as  in  expectation  of  being  crushed  beneath  its 
weight.  I  cannot  yet  recall  this  moment  without  shudder- 


164  FALLS   01    THK 

ing.  Our  sight  swimming;  our  ears  filled  with  the  stun- 
ning roar  of  the  river,  the  smoke  of  whose  waters  rose  even 
to  this  dizzy  height ;  while  the  thin  coaling  of  soil  whicli 
covered  the  rock,  and  had  once  afforded  a  scanty  nourish- 
ment to  the  blasted  tree  which  sustained  us,  seemed  to 
shake  beneath  our  feet.  At  the  time  I  judged  this  to  be 
the  work  of  busy  fancy.  To  restore  our  confused  senses, 
and  save  ourselves  from  losing  balance,  which  had  been 
the  loss  of  life,  we  grasped  the  old  pine  with  considerable 
energy,  and  it  was  at  last,  with  trembling  knees,  and  eyes 
steadily  fixed  upon  our  footsteps,  neither  daring  to  look 
up  nor  down,  that  we  regained  the  height  from  which  we 
had  descended.  Having  regained  it,  I  thought  we  never 
looked  more  like  fools  in  our  lives. 

Crossing  the  bridge,  (which  brought  us  down  not  quite 
to  the  level  we  had  sought  by  a  more  perilous  descent  on 
the  other  side,)  we  walked  round  upon  a  fine  carpet  of 
verdure,  kept  always  fresh  by  the  spray  from  the  basin 
beneath,  till  we  stood  above  the  brink  of  the  fall,  and  near- 
ly facing  the  arch.  While  making  this  circuit,  we  again 
shuddered,  perceiving,  for  the  first  time,  that  the  point  we 
had  descended  to  on  the  opposite  side,  had  a  concealed 
peril  more  imminent  than  those  which  had  so  forcibh 
afifected  our  imagination.  The  earth  beneath  the  old 
pine,  being  completely  excavated,  and  apparently  only 
held  together  by  one  of  its  roots.  A  young  man,  who 
the  next  day  became  our  fellow  traveller,  told  me  that  he 
had  seen  us  take  this  position  with  such  alarm,  that  his 
blood  ran  cold  for  many  minutes  after  we  left  it ;  adding, 
that  he  had  observed  the  earth  crumble  beneath  our 
weight,  and  strike  in  the  water  below.  I  know  not  if  his 
fancy  had  been  as  busy  as  ours  in  exaggerating  our  perils, 
but  I  will  confess  that  they  were  sufficient  to  startle  me 
from  sleep  twenty  times  during  the  ensuing  night  in  all 
the  horrors  of  tumbling  down  precipices,  and  falling 
through  bridges  in  the  manner  of  the  sons  of  men,  as  seen 


GENESEE    RIVER.  165 

in  the  vision  of  Mirza.  I  have  heard  it  said  that  the  art 
of  swimming  has  lost  more  lives  than  it  has  saved  ;  per- 
haps the  art  of  clambering  has  done  the  same. 

The  flourishing  town  of  Rochester,  thus  strikingly  situa- 
ted, is  seven  years  old,  —  that  is  to  say,  seven  years  ago, 
the  planks  of  which  its  neat  white  houses  are  built,  were 
growing  in  an  unbroken  forest.  It  now  contains  upwards 
of  two  hundred  houses,  well  laid  out  in  broad  streets ; 
shops,  furnished  with  all  the  necessaries,  and  with  many 
that  may  be  accounted  the  luxuries  of  life ;  several  good 
inns,  or  taverns,  as  they  are  universally  styled  in  these 
states.  We  were  very  well,  and  very  civilly  treated  in 
one  of  them;  but,  indeed,  I  have  never  yet  met  with  any 
incivility,  though  occasionally  with  that  sort  of  indiffer- 
ence which  foreigners,  accustomed  to  the  obsequiousness 
of  European  service,  sometimes  mistake  for  it. 

In  the  country,  especially,  service,  however  well  paid 
for,  is  a  favour  received.  Every  man  is -a  farmer  and  a 
proprietor ;  few  therefore  can  be  procured  to  work  for 
hire,  and  these  must  generally  be  oroughtfrom  a  distance. 
Country  gentlemen  complain  much  of  this  difficulty. 
Most  things,  however,  have  their  good  and  their  evil.  I 
have  remarked  that  the  American  gentry  are  possessed 
of  much  more  personal  activity  than  is  common  in  other 
countries.  They  acquire,  as  children,  the  habit  of  doing 
for  themselves  what  others  require  to  be  done  for  them  ; 
and  are,  besides,  saved  from  the  sin  of  insolence,  which  is 
often  so  early  fixed  in  the  young  mind.  Some  foreigners 
will  tell  you,  that  insolence  here  is  with  the  poor.  Each 
must  speak  from  his  own  experience.  I  have  never  met 
with  any ;  though  I  will  confess,  that  if  I  did,  it  would 
offend  me  less  than  the  insolence  offered  by  the  rich  to  the 
poor  has  done  elsewhere.  But  insolence  forms  no  cha-* 
racteristic  of  the  American,  whatever  be  his  condition  in 
life.  I  verily  believe  that  you  might  travel  from  the  Ca- 
nada frontier  to  the  gulf  of  Mexico,  or  from  the  Atlantic 


166  AMERICAN 

to  the  Missouri,  and  never  receive  from  a  native  born 
citizen  a  rude  word,  it  being  understood  always  that  you 
never  give  one. 

On  arriving  at  a  tavern  in  this  country,  you  excite  no 
kind  of  sejisation,  come  how  you  will.  The  master  of  the 
house  bids  you  good-day,  and  you  walk  in  ;  breakfast, 
dinner,  and  supper,  are  prepared  at  stated  times,  to  which 
you  must  generally  contrive  to  accommodate.  There  arc 
selcjom  more  hands  than  enough  to  despatch  the  necessary 
work ;  you  are  not  therefore  beset  by  half-a-dozen  menials, 
imagining  your  wants,  before  you  know  them  yourself; 
make  them  known,  however,  and,  if  they  be  rational, 
they  are  generally  answered  with  tolerable  readiness,  and 
I  have  invariably  found  with  perfect  civility.  One  thing 
I  must  notice,  that  you  are  never  any  where  charged  for 
attendance.  The  servant  is  not  yours  but  the  inn- 
,  keeper's ;  no  demands  are  made  upon  you  except  by  the 
latter  ;  this  saves  much  trouble,  and  indeed  is  absolutely 
necessary  in  a  house  where  the  servant's  labour  is  com- 
monly too  valuable  to  be  laid  at  the  mercy  of  every 
whimsical  traveller ;  but  this  arrangement  originates  in 
another  cause,  the  republican  habits  and  feelings  of  the 
community.  I  honour  the  pride  which  makes  a  man  un- 
willing to  sell  his  personal  service  to  a  fellow  creature  ; 
to  come  and  go  at  the  beck  of  another,  —  is  it  not  natural 
that  there  should  be  some  unwillingness  to  do  this  ?  It  is  . 
the  last  trade  to  which  an  American,  man  or  woman,  has 
recourse ;  still  some  must  be  driven  to  it,  particularly  of 
the  latter  sex;  but  she  always  assumes  with  you  the 
manner  of  an  equal.  I  have  never,  in  this  country,  hired 
the  attendance  of  any  but  native  Americans  :  and  never 
have  met  with  an  uncivil  word  ;  but  I  could  perceive  that 
neither  would  one  have  been  taken  ;  honest,  trusty,  and 
proud,  such  is  the  American  in  service ;  there  is  a  cha- 
vacter  here  which  all  who  can  appreciate  it,  will  respect. 
\t  Rochester  wo  dismissed  our  waeon ;  and  the  fol- 


THE  POST  BAG.  167 

{owing  morning,  between  three  and  four  o'clock,  once 
again  seated  in  the  regular  stage,  struck  westward  to  the 
Niagara  river.  It  was  not,  I  assure  you,  without  some 
silent  alarm,  that,  on  leaving  Rochester,  we  crossed  by 
starlight  the  tremendous  bridge,  for  the  purpose  of  opening 
the  mail  at  Cartilage. 

The  mode  in  which  the  contents  of  the  post  bag  are 
usually  distributed  through  the  less  populous  districts,  had 
often  before  amused  me.  I  remember,  when  taking  a 
cross  cut  in  a  queer  sort  of  a  caravan,  bound  for  some 
settlement  on  the  southern  shore  of  Lake  Erie,  observing, 
with  no  small  surprise,  the  operations  of  our  charioteer ; 
a  paper  flung  to  the  right  hand,  and  anon  a  paper  flung 
to  the  left,  where  no  sight  or  sound  bespoke  the  presence 
of  human  beings.  I  asked  if  the  bears  were  curious  of 
news  ;  upon  which  I  was  informed,  that  there  was  a  set- 
tler in  the  neighbourhood,  who  ought  to  have  been  on  the 
lookout,  or  some  of  his  children  for  him.  "  But  when  I 
don't  find  them  ready,  I  throw  the  paper  under  a  tree  ; 
and  I  warrant  you  they'll  look  sharp  enough  to  find  it ; 
they're  always  curious  of  news  in  these  wild  parts;"  and 
curious  enough  they  seemed,  for  not  a  cabin  did  we  pass 
that  a  newspaper  was  not  flung  from  the  hand  of  this  en- 
lightener  of  the  wilderness.  Occasionally  making  a  halt 
at  some  solitary  dwelling,  the  post  bag  and  its  guardian 
descended  together,  when,  if  the  assistance  of  the  farmer, 
who  here  acted  as  postmaster,  could  be  obtained,  the 
whole  contents  of  the  mail  were  discharged  upon  the 
ground,  and  all  hands  and  eyes  being  put  in  requisition, 
such  letters  as  might  be  addressed  to  the  surrounding  dis- 
trict, were  scrambled  out  from  the  heap ;  which,  being 
then  again  scrambled  together,  was  once  more  shaken  in- 
to the  leathern  receptacle,  and  thrown  into  the  wagon ; 
but  it  sometimes  happened,  that  the  settler  was  from 
home.  On  one  occasion,  1  remember,  neither  man,  wo- 
man, nor  child,  was  to  be  found ;  the  stage-driver  whis- 


THE   POaT  BAG. 

tied  and  hallooed,  walked  into  the  dwelling,  and  through 
the  dwelling,  sprang  the  fence,  traversed  the  field  of  maize, 
and  shouted  into  the  wood ;  but  all  to  no  purpose.  Hav- 
ing resumed  his  station,  and  set  his  horses  in  motion,  I 
inquired  how  the  letters  were  to  find  their  destination, 
seeing  that  we  were  carrying  them  along  with  us,  heaven 
knew  where  ?  "  Oh  !  they'll  keep  in  the  country  any 
how  ;  it  is  likely  indeed,  they  may  go  down  the  Ohio,  and 
make  a  short  tour  of  the  states ;  this  has  happened  some- 
times ;  but  it  is  a  chance  but  they  get  to  Washington  at 
last ;  and  then  they'll  commence  a  straight  course  anew, 
and  be  safe  here  again  this  day  twelvemonth  may  be,  or 
two  years  at  farthest." 

At  Carthage  we  found  the  postmaster,  very  naturalh 
fast  asleep ;  after  much  clatter  against  his  door  and 
wooden  walls,  he  made  his  appearance  with  a  candle, 
and  according  to  custom,  the  whole  contents  of  the  mail 
were  discharged  upon  the  floor.  The  poor  Carthaginian 
rubbed  his  eyes,  as  he  took  up  one  letter  after  another 
from  the  heap  before  him ;  but  his  dreams  seemed  still 
upon  him.  "Not  a  letter  can  I  see."  he  exclaimed,  as 
he  again  rubbed  his  eyes,  and  snuffed  his  candle.  "  Friend, 
lend  me  your  eyes,  or  you  may  just  take  the  whole  load 
away  with  you."  "  I  am  none  of  the  best  at  decypher- 
irig  handwriting,"  replied  the  driver.  "Why  then  I 
must  call  my  wife,  for  she  is  as  sharp  as  a  needle."  The 
wife  was  called,  and,  in  gown  and  cap,  soon  made  her 
appearance ;  the  candle  and  the  papers  placed  in  the 
middle,  wife,  husband,  and  driver,  set  about  deciphering 
the  liieroglyphics ;  but  that  the  wife  had  the  character  ol 
being  as  sharp  as  a  needle,  I  should  have  augured  ill  o! 
the  labours  of  this  triumvirate.  Whether  right  or  wron<r. 
however,  the  selection  was  soon  made,  and  the  budget 
once  again  committed  to  the  wagon. 

The  road  between  this  and  Lewiston  is  chiefly  re- 
markable from  its  being,  such  as  it  is.  the  work  of  nature : 


JOURNEY  TO  LEWISTON.  169 

a  bed  of  gravel  was  discovered  to  run  almost  in  a  direct 
line,  its  breadth  seldom  greater  than  that  of  the  road  to 
the  Niagara  river,  commencing  four  miles  from  the  Gene- 
see.  Between  Utica  and  the  lesser  Falls  of  the  Mohawk, 
the  great  western  road  strikes  into  a  shorter  ridge  of  the 
same  description,  but  which  there  crosses  a  deep  valley, 
while  here  it  is  scarce  raised  above  the  vegetable  soil  it 
traverses :  for  forty  miles  this  natural  highway,  formerly 
the  confining  boundary  of  the  waters  of  Ontario,  remains 
unbroken,  save  now  and  then  where  it  gives  passage  to 
some  muddy  creek,  the  sluggish  drain  of  the  vast  swamps 
whose  noxious  exhalations  breed  fevers,  intermitting  and 
bilious,  during  the  autumnal  months,  in  the  new  and 
scanty  population.  Five  years  since  there  was  but  one 
log  house  between  Rochester  and  Lewiston.  A  citizen 
who  got  into  the  stage  during  the  morning  for  a  dozen 
miles,  and  who  united  the  professions  of  doctor  and  farmer, 
and  painter  also,  if  I  understood  right,  told  me  that  he  had 
five-and-thirty  patients  within  the  stretch  of  one  mile. 
This  may  convey  to  you  some  idea  at  once  of  the  rapid  set- 
tling of  the  country,  and  the  physical  evils  that  the  first  oc- 
cupiers of  the  soil  have  to  encounter.  We  did  not  enter 
a  house  in  which  there  were  less  than  two  of  the  family 
either  in  bed,  or  looking  as  if  they  ought  to  be  there.  The 
autumn  is  always  the  trying  season,  and  the  prolonged 
and  extreme  heats  of  the  summer  months  have  this 
year  doubled  its  usual  fatality.  These  evils,  dreadful 
while  they  last,  are,  however,  but  temporary ;  as  the  axe 
and  the  drain  advance  into  the  forest,  the  maParia  re- 
cedes. It  would  recede  more  rapidly,  as  well  as  more 
certainly,  if  the  new  settlers  would  contrive  to  do  with- 
out, or  at  least  with  fewer  mills.  The  collection  of  the 
waters  from  the  creeks  and  the  swamps,  soon  brought  by 
the  action  of  a  powerful  sun  to  a  state  of  putrefaction,  in- 
creases tenfold  the  deadly  air  already  spread  by  nature. 
I  could  not  pass  one  of  these  reservoirs  of  disease  without 

24 


170  JOURNEY   TO  LEVVISTON. 

a  sickness  at  the  heart ;  and  this  was  not  a  little  increased 
when  a  young  farmer  was  assisted  by  his  father  into  the 
wagon,  seemingly  in  the  last  stage  of  decline.  As  I 
placed  the  poor  creature  in  the  seat  least  uneasy  of  the 
comfortless  vehicle,  and  arranged  a  buffalo  skin  with  the 
addition  of  a  great  coat  behind  his  back,  he  told  me  he 
was  recovering  from  the  intermitting  fever,  and  going  to 
seek  change  of  air  at  the  house  of  a  neighbour,  twenty 
miles  distant.  The  family  had  migrated  from  New-Eng- 
land some  two  years  since,  and  had  been  perfectly  healthy 
until  the  late  erection  of  a  mill  in  the  close  neighbourhood 
of  their  dwelling.  After  a  stage  of  fifteen  miles,  he  left  us 
to  be  rattled  over  a  causeway  of  logs  that  struck  off  into 
the  forest  at  a  right  angle  from  the  road,  and  which  might 
have  shattered  limbs  less  feeble  than  those  of  this  living 
spectre.  "God  help  thee  over  it!"  said  I  inwardly,  as 
the  poor  youth  was  lifted  half  fainting  into  a  wagon. 

Forty  miles  from  Lewiston,  the  ridge  is  broken  for  a 
considerable  extent ;  and  the  log  causeway,  through  a 
deep  swamp  that  fills  up  the  deficiency,  is  only  to  be  cross- 
ed on  foot.  Fatigued  and  bruised  as  we  by  this  time 
were,  it  was  no  easy  matter  to  clamber  over  these  cruel 
miles,  which,  though  few,  seemed  eternal.  We  might 
have  broken  this  heavy  journey,  for  there  were  numerous 
dwellings  which  a  sign,  swinging  upon  a  pole  before  the 
doors,  designated  as  taverns ;  and  occasionally,  in  the 
young  settlements,  which,  in  the  earlier  section  of  our 
route,  already  flourished  under  the  name  of  towns,  and 
the  appearance  of  villages,  these  travellers  rests  were,  all 
things  considered,  of  very  tolerable  appearance.  But  we 
were  anxious  to  relieve  our  eyes  from  the  sight  of  squalid 
faces,  and  our  ears  from  the  eternal  sound  of  ague  and 
fever,  which  we  trusted  to  do  on  emerging  from  these 
shades. 

For  the  first  forty  miles,  the  road  was,  with  some  inter- 
missions, bordered  by  a  line  of  cultivation  ;  or.  where  the 


X 

JOURNEY  TO  LEWISTON.  171 

plough  had  not  absolutely  turned  up  the  soil,  the  axe  was 
waging  war  with  the  trees.  To  this  succeeded  a  stretch 
of  forest ;  relieved  at  long  intervals  by  the  settler's  rugged 
patch,  smoking  with  burning  timber,  and  encumbered  with 
blackened  logs. 

A  log  road,  or  causeway,  as  it  is  denominated,  is  very 
grievous  to  the  limbs  ;  and  when  it  traverses  a  dense  and 
swampy  forest,  is  not  very  cheering  to  the  eyes  ;  nor  al- 
ways is  the  travelling  greatly  more  agreeable  when,  in 
lieu  of  the  trunks  of  trees,  you  are  dragged  over  their  roots, 
and  a  soil  scooped  into  holes.  Storms  had  been  busy  here 
also ;  immense  trees  had  been  torn  up  from  their  beds, 
and  the  road,  never  in  its  best  days  over  smooth  and  de- 
licate, cut  and  channelled  into  sevenfold  ruggedness  and 
deformity.  And  yet,  had  it  been  a  healthier  season,  these 
heavy  miles  would  not  have  been  altogether  without  their 
interest.  There  was,  indeed,  neither  rock,  nor  dale,  nor 
hill,  nor  pleasant  valley ;  nothing  but  the  settler's  cabin, 
and  now  and  then  a  growing  village,  backed  by  the  rag- 
ged forest.  But  had  health  here  dwelt  with  industry,  the 
eye  might  have  found  beauty  even  in  this  monotonous 
landscape ;  as  it  was,  all  seemed  sad  and  cheerless  in  this 
young  world  ;  the  stroke  of  the  axe  fell  mournfully  on  the 
ear,  when  the  hand  that  lifted  it  seemed  unnerved  by  past 
or  approaching  sickness ;  the  cabin  told  nothing  of  the  stir 
of  human  life  ;  one  solitary  figure  was  sometimes  the  only 
moving  creature  within  its  walls.  I  shall  not  soon  forget 
the  aspect  of  a  young  family  who  were  scattered  over  a 
little  knoll,  jutting  forward  from  the  forest  into  the  waters 
of  a  creek  that  came  sluggishly  winding  through  the 
shades.  A  group  of  urchins,  some  sitting,  some  stand- 
ing, were  gathered,  possibly  to  observe  our  approaching 
vehicle  ;  the  gaze  of  their  lustreless  eyes,  and  the  hue  of 
their  sallow  cheeks,  haunted  me  for  many  hours  after- 
wards. 

The  settlers'  fires  have  now  scared  away  the  wolves 


172  JOURNEY  TO    LEWISTOJf. 

and  bears,  who,  not  five  years  since,  held  undisputed  do- 
minion in  these  unbroken  shades ;  as  many  more,  and  the 
noxious  vapours  may  be  dispersed  also :  it  is  possible, 
however,  that  the  low  tracts  in  the  neighbourhood  of  the 
great  northwestern  waters  may  never  be  wholly  free  from 
autumnal  sickness.  We  started  twice  or  thrice  in  the  fo- 
rest a  solitary  deer ;  and  once  put  a  whole  herd  in  motion. 
The  wild  creatures  glanced  at  us  from  the  covert ;  and, 
bounding  over  a  little  rivulet,  were  soon  lost  in  the  depths 
of  the  forest. 

The  moon  was  up  ere  the  dull  level  which  we  had  so 
long  traversed,  was  varied  by  the  appearance  of  the  ridge 
which  is  afterwards  torn  open  by  the  Niagara.  We  ran 
along  its  base  for  some  miles,  on  a  smooth  and  firm  road, 
which  would  have  relieved  our  tired  limbs,  had  they  not 
now  been  too  tired  to  be  relieved  by  any  thing.  The 
chills  of  an  autumnal  night  succeeding  to  a  day  of  sum- 
mer heat,  had  yet  farther  increased  our  discomfort  when 
we  entered  the  frontier  village  of  Lewiston. 

Alighting  at  a  little  tavern,  we  found  the  only  public 
apartment  sufficiently  occupied,  and  accordingly  made 
bold  to  enter  a  small  room ;  which,  by  the  cheering  blaze 
of  an  oak  fire,  we  discovered  to  be  the  kitchen,  and,  for 
the  time  being,  the  peculiar  residence  of  the  family  of  the 
house.  An  unusual  inundation  of  travellers  had  thrown 
all  into  confusion.  The  busy  matron,  nursing  an  infant 
with  one  arm,  and  cooking  with  the  other,  seemed  work- 
ed out  of  strength,  and  almost  out  of  temper.  A  tribe  of 
young  urchins,  kept  from  their  rest  by  the  unusual  stir, 
were  lying  half  asleep  ;  some  on  the  floor,  and  some  upon  a 
bed,  which  filled  a  third  of  the  apartment.  We  were  suf- 
fered to  establish  ourselves  by  the  fire ;  and  having  relieved 
the  troubled  hostess  from  her  chief  encumbrance,  she  re- 
covered good  humour,  and  presently  prepared  our  supper. 
While  rocking  the  infant,  it  was  with  pleasure  that  I  ob- 
served its  healthy  cheeks,  and  those  of  the  drowsy  imps 


CATARACT  OF  NIAGARA.  173 

scattered  around.  It  was  unnecessary  to  be  told  that 
we  were  now  on  healthy  ground.  There  had,  the  mo- 
ther said,  been  some  fever  in  the  neighbourhood  ;  but  the 
cases  were  few.  The  season  probably  will  be  a  trying 
one  every  where. 

In  the  night,  when  all  was  still,  I  heard  the  first  rum- 
bling of  the  cataract.  Wakeful  from  over  fatigue-,  rather 
than  from  any  discomfort  in  the  lodging,  I  rose  more  than 
once  to  listen  to  a  sound  which  the  dullest  ears  could  not 
catch  for  the  first  time  without  emotion.  Opening  the 
window,  the  low,  hoarse  thunder  distinctly  broke  the  si- 
lence of  the  night ;  when,  at  intervals,  it  swelled  more 
full  and  deep,  you  will  believe,  that  I  held  my  breath  to 
listen  ;  they  were  solemn  moments. 

This  mighty  cataract  is  no  longer  one  of  nature's  secret 
mysteries ;  thousands  now  make  their  pilgrimage  to  it,  not 
through 

"  Lakes,  fens,  bogs,  dens,  and  caves  of  death," 

but  over  a  broad  highway ;  none  of  the  smoothest,  it  is 
true,  but  quite  bereft  of  all  difficulty  or  danger.  This  in 
time  may  somewhat  lessen  the  awe  with  which  this  scene 
of  grandeur  is  approached  ;  and  even  now  we  were  not 
sorry  to  have  opened  upon  it  by  a  road  rather  more  sa- 
vage and  less  frequented  than  that  usually  chosen. 

Next  morning  we  set  off  in  a  little  wagon,  under  a  glo- 
rious sun,  and  a  refreshing  breeze.  Seven  miles  of  a 
pleasant  road  which  ran  up  the  ridge  we  had  observed 
the  preceding  night,  brought  us  to  the  cataract.  In  the 
way  we  alighted  to  look  down  from  a  broad  platform  of 
rock,  on  the  edge  of  the  precipice,  at  a  fine  bend  of  the 
river.  From  hence  the  blue  expanse  of  Ontario  bounded  a 
third  of  the  horizon ;  fort  Niagara  on  the  American  shore ; 
fort  George  on  the  Canadian,  guarding  the  mouth  of  the 
river,  where  it  opens  into  the  lake ;  the  banks,  rising  as  they 
approached  us,  finely  wooded,  and  winding,  now  hiding 


174  CATARACT  OF  NIAGARA. 

and  now  revealing  the  majestic  waters  of  the  channel. 
Never  shall  I  forget  the  moment  when,  throwing  down 
my  eyes,  I  first  beheld  the  deep,  slow,  solemn  tide,  clear 
as  crystal,  and  green  as  the  ocean,  sweeping  through  its 
channel  of  rocks  with  a  sullen  dignity  of  motion  and 
sound,  far  beyond  all  that  I  had  heard,  or  could  ever  have 
conceived.  You  saw  and  felt  immediately  that  it  was 
no  river  you  beheld,  but  an  imprisoned  sea  ;  for  such  in- 
deed are  the  lakes  of  these  regions.  The  velocity  of  the 
waters,  after  the  leap,  until  they  issue  from  the  chasm  at 
Queenston,  flowing  over  a  rough  and  shelving  bed,  must 
actually  be  great ;  but,  from  their  vast  depth  they  move 
with  an  apparent  majesty,  that  seems  to  temper  their  ve- 
hemence, rolling  onwards  in  heavy  volumes,  and  with  a 
hollow  sound,  as  if  labouring  and  groaning  with  their  own 
weight.  I  can  convey  to  you  no  idea  of  the  solemnity  of 
this  moving  ocean.  Our  eyes  followed  its  waves  until 
they  ached  with  gazing  ;  and  had  not  our  little  guide  and 
wagoner  startled  us,  by  hurling  a  fragment  of  rock  from 
the  precipice,  I  know  not  when  we  should  have  awaken- 
ed from  our  dream. 

A  mile  farther,  we  caught  a  first  and  partial  glimpse  of 
the  cataract,  on  which  the  opposing  sun  flashed  for  a  mo- 
ment, as  on  a  silvery  screen  that  hung  suspended  in  the  sky. 
It  disappeared  again  behind  the  forest,  all  save  the  white 
cloud  that  rose  far  up  into  the  air,  and  marked  the  spot 
from  whence  the  thunder  came.  We  now  pressed  for- 
ward with  increasing  impatience,  and  after  a  few  miles 
reaching  a  small  inn,  we  left  our  rude  equipage,  and  has- 
tened in  the  direction  that  was  pointed  to  us. 

Two  foot-bridges  have  latterly  been  thrown,  by  daring 
and  dexterous  hands,  from  island  to  island,  across  the 
American  side  of  the  channel,  some  hundred  feet  above 
the  brink  of  the  fall ;  gaining  in  this  maner  the  great  island 
which  divides  the  cataract  into  two  unequal  parts,  we 
made  its  circuit  at  our  leisure.  From  its  lower  point,  we 


CATARACT    OP  NIAGARA.  175 

obtained  partial  and  imperfect  views  of  the  falling  river ; 
from  the  higher,  we  commanded  a  fine  prospect  of  the  up- 
per channel.  Nothing  here  denotes  the  dreadful  commo- 
tion so  soon  about  to  take  place ;  the  thunder,  indeed,  is 
behind  you,  and  the  rapids  are  rolling  and  dashing  on 
either  hand ;  but  before,  the  vast  river  comes  sweeping 
down  its  broad  and  smooth  waters  between  banks  low 
and  gentle  as  those  of  the  Thames.  Returning,  we  again 
stood  long  on  the  bridges,  gazing  on  the  rapids  that  rolled 
above  and  beneath  us ;  the  waters  of  the  deepest  sea- 
green,  crested  with  silver,  shooting  under  our  feet  with  the 
velocity  of  lightning,  till,  reaching  the  brink,  the  vast  waves 
seemed  to  pause,  as  if  gathering  their  strength  for  the  tre- 
mendous plunge.  Formerly  it  was  not  unusual  for  the 
more  adventurous  traveller  to  drop  down  to  the  island  in 
a  well  manned  and  well  guided  boat.  This  was  done  by 
keeping  between  the  currents,  as  they  rush  on  either  side 
of  the  island,  thus  leaving  a  narrow  stream,  which  flows 
gently  to  its  point,  and  has  to  the  eye,  contrasted  with  the 
rapidity  of  the  tide,  where  to  right  and  left  the  water  is 
sucked  to  the  Falls,  the  appearance  of  a  strong  back  cur- 
rent. 

It  is  but  an  inconsiderable  portion  of  this  imprisoned 
sea  which  flows  on  the  American  side;  but  even  this 
were  sufficient  to  fix  the  eye  in  admiration.  Descending 
the  ladder  (now  easy  steps.)  and  approaching  to  the  foot 
of  this  lesser  Fall,  we  were  driven  away  blinded,  breath- 
less, and  smarting,  the  wind  being  high  and  blowing  right 
against  us.  A  young  gentleman,  who  incautiously  ven- 
tured a  few  steps  farther,  was  thrown  upon  his  back,  and 
I  had  some  apprehension,  from  the  nature  of  the  ground 
upon  which  he  fell,  was  seriously  hurt ;  he  escaped,  how- 
ever, from  the  blast,  upon  hands  and  knees,  with  a  few 
slight  bruises.  Turning  a  corner  of  the  rock  (where,  de- 
scending less  precipitously,  it  is  wooded  to  the  bottom) 
to  recover  our  breath,  and  wring  the  water  from  our  hair 


176  CATARACT  OF    MAG  AHA. 

and  clothes,  we  saw,  on  lifting  our  eyes,  a  corner  of  the 
summit  of  this  graceful  division  of  the  cataract  hanging 
above  the  projecting  mass  of  trees,  as  it  were  in  mid  air. 
like  the  snowy  top  of  a  mountain.  Above,  the  dazzling 
white  of  the  shivered  water  was  thrown  into  contrast  with 
the  deep  blue  of  the  unspotted  heavens  ;  below,  with  the 
living  green  of  the  summer  foliage,  fresh  and  sparkling  in 
the  eternal  shower  of  the  rising  and  falling  spray.  The 
wind,  which,  for  the  space  of  an  hour,  blew  with  some  fu- 
ry, rushing  down  with  the  river,  flung  showers  of  spray 
from  the  crest  of  the  fall.  The  sun's  rays  glancing  on 
these  big  drops,  and  sometimes  on  feathery  streams 
thrown  fantastically  from  the  main  body  of  the  water, 
transformed  them  into  silvery  stars,  or  beams  of  light ; 
while  the  graceful  rainbow,  now  arching  over  our  heads, 
and  now  circling  in  the  vapour  at  our  feet,  still  flew  before 
us  as  we  moved.  The  greater  division  of  the  cataract 
was  here  concealed  from  our  sight  by  the  dense  volumes 
of  vapour  which  the  wind  drove  with  fury  across  the  im- 
mense basin  directly  towards  us;  sometimes  indeed  a 
veering  gust  parted  for  a  moment  the  thick  clouds,  and 
partially  revealed  the  heavy  columns,  that  seemed  more 
like  fixed  pillars  of  moving  emerald  than  living  sheets  of 
water.  Here,  seating  ourselves  at  the  brink  of  this  trou- 
bled ocean,  beneath  the  gaze  of  the  sun,  we  had  the  full 
advantage  of  a  vapour  bath ;  the  fervid  rays  drying  our 
garments  one  moment,  and  a  blast  from  (he  basin  drench- 
ing them  the  next.  The  wind  at  length  having  somewhat 
abated,  and  the  ferryman  being  willing  to  attempt  the  pas- 
sage, we  here  crossed  in  a  little  boat  to  the  Canada  side. 
The  nervous  arm  of  a  single  rower  stemmed  this  heavy 
current,  just  below  the  basin  of  the  Falls,  and  yet  in  the 
\\liiiioccasionedbythern;  the  stormy  northwest  at  this 
moment  chafing  the  waters  yet  more.  Blinded  as  we 
were  by  the  columns  of  vapour  which  were  driven  upon 
us,  we  lost  the  panoramic  view  of  the  cataract,  which,  in 


CATARACT  QP   NIAGARA.  177 

calmer  hours,  or  with  other  winds,  may  be  seen  in  this 
passage.  The  angry  waters,  and  the  angry  winds  toge- 
ther, drove  us  farther  down  the  channel  than  was  quite 
agreeable,  seeing  that  a  few  roods  more,  and  our  shallop 
must  have  been  whirled  into  breakers,  from  which  ten 
such  arms  as  those  of  its  skilful  conductor  could  not  have 
redeemed  it. 

Being  landed  two-thirds  of  a  mile  below  the  cataract,  a 
scramble,  at  first  very  intricate,  through,  and  over,  and 
under  huge  masses  of  rock,  which  occasionally  seemed  to 
deny  all  passage,  and  among  which  our  guide  often  disap- 
peared from  our  wandering  eyes,  placed  us  at  the  foot  of 
the  ladder  by  which  the  traveller  descends  on  the  Canada 
side.  From  hence  a  rough  walk  along  a  shelving  ledge  of 
loose  stones  brought  us  to  the  cavern  formed  by  the  pro- 
jection of  the  ledge  over  which  the  water  rolls,  and  which 
is  known  by  the  name  of  the  Table  Rock. 

The  gloom  of  this  vast  cavern,  the  whirlwind  that  ever 
plays  in  it,  the  deafening  roar,  the  vast  abyss  of  convulsed 
waters  beneath  you,  the  falling  columns  that  hang  over  your 
head,  all  strike,  not  upon  the  ears  and  eyes  only,  but  upon 
the  heart.  For  the  first  few  moments,  the  sublime  is 
wrought  to  the  terrible.  This  position,  indisputably  the 
finest,  is  no  longer  one  of  safety.  A  part  of  the  Table 
Rock  fell  last  year,  and  in  that  still  remaining,  the  eye 
traces  an  alarming  fissure,  from  the  very  summit  of  the 
projecting  ledge  over  which  the  water  rolls  ;  so  that  the 
ceiling  of  this  dark  cavern  seems  rent  from  the  precipice, 
and  whatever  be  its  hold,  it  is  evidently  fast  yielding  to 
the  pressure  of  the  water.  You  cannot  look  up  to  this 
crevice,  and  down  upon  the  enormous  masses  which  late- 
ly fell,  with  a  shock  mistaken  by  the  neighbouring  inhabit- 
ants for  that  of  an  earthquake,  without  shrinking  at  the 
dreadful  possibility  which  might  crush  you  beneath  ruins, 
yet  more  enormous  than  those  which  lie  at  your  feet. 

The  cavern  formed  by  the  projection  of  this  rock,  ex- 

25 


178  CATARACT   OF   NIAGARA. 

tends  some  feet  behind  the  water,  and,  could  you  breathe, 
to  stand  behind  the  edge  of  the  sheet  were  perfectly  easy. 
I  have  seen  those  who  have  told  me  they  have  done  so  : 
for  myself,  when  I  descended  within  a  few  paces  of  this 
dark  recess,  I  was  obliged  to  hurry  back  some  yards  to 
draw  breath.  Mine  to  be  sure  are  not  the  best  of  lungs, 
but  theirs  must  be  little  short  of  miraculous,  that  can  play 
in  the  wind  and  foam  that  gush  from  the  hidden  depths  of 
this  watery  cave.  It  is  probable,  however,  that  the  late 
fracture  of  the  rock  has  considerably  narrowed  this  recess ; 
and  thus  increased  the  force  of  the  blast  that  meets  the 
intruder. 

From  this  spot,  (beneath  the  Table  Rock,)  you  foci. 
more  than  from  any  other,  the  height  of  the  cataract,  and 
the  weight  of  its  waters.  It  seems  a  tumbling  ocean  : 
and  you  yourself  what  a  helpless  atom  amid  these  vast 
and  eternal  workings  of  gigantic  nature  !  The  wind  had 
now  abated,  and  what  was  better,  we  were  now  under 
the  lee,  and  could  admire  its  sport  with  the  vapour,  in- 
stead of  being  blinded  by  it.  From  the  enormous  basin 
into  which  the  waters  precipitate  themselves  in  a  clear 
leap  of  1 40  feet,  the  clouds  of  smoke  rose  in  white  vo- 
lumes, like  the  round-headed  clouds  you  have  sometimes 
seen  in  the  evening  horizon  of  a  summer  sky,  and  then 
shot  up  in  pointed  pinnacles,  like  the  ice  of  mountain  gla- 
<jieres.  Caught  by  the  wind,  it  was  now  borne  down  the 
channel,  then,  re-collecting  its  strength,  the  tremulous 
vapour  again  sought  the  upper  air,  till,  broken  and  dis- 
persed in  the  blue  serene,  it  spread  against  it  the  only  sil- 
very veil  which  spotted  the  pure  azure.  In  the  centre  of 
the  Fall,  wrhere  the  water  is  the  heaviest,  it  takes  the 
leap  in  an  unbroken  mass  of  the  deepest  green,  and  in 
many  places  reaches  the  bottom  in  crystal  columns  of  the 
same  hue.  till  they  meet  the  snow-white  foam  that  heaves 
and  rolls  convulsedly  in  the  enormous  basin.  But  for  the 
deafening  roar,  the  darkness  and  the  stormy  whirlwind  in 


* 


CATA11ACT  OF  NIAGARA.  179 

which  we  stood,  I  could  have  fancied  these  massy  vo- 
lumes the  walls  of  some  fairy  palace — living  emeralds 
chased  in  silver.  Never  surely  did  nature  throw  toge- 
ther so  fantastically  so  much  beauty  with  such  terrific 
grandeur.  Nor  let  me  pass  without  notice  the  lovely 
rainbow  that,  at  this  moment,  hung  over  the  opposing  di- 
vision of  the  cataract  as  parted  by  the  island,  embracing 
the  whole  breadth  in  its  span.  Midway  of  this  silvery 
screen  of  shivered  water,  stretched  a  broad  belt  of  bla- 
zing gold  and  crimson,  into  which  the  rainbow  dropped 
its  hues,  and  seemed  to  have  based  its  arch.  Different 
from  all  other  scenes  of  nature  that  have  come  under  my 
observation,  the  cataract  of  Niagara  is  seen  to  most  ad- 
vantage under  a  powerful  and  opposing  sun  :  the  hues 
assumed  by  the  vapour  are  then  by  far  the  most  varied 
and  brilliant ;  and  of  the  beauty  of  these  hues,  I  can  give 
you  no  idea.  The  gloom  of  the  cavern  (for  I  speak  always 
as  if  under  the  Table  Rock)  needs  no  assistance  from 
the  shade  of  evening ;  and  the  terrible  grandeur  of  the 
whole  is  not  felt  the  less  for  bemg  distinctly  seen.  We 
now  ascended  the  precipice  on  the  Canada  side,  and 
having  taken  a  long  gaze  from  the  Table  Rock,  sought 
dry  clothes  and  refreshment  at  a  neighbouring  inn. 

We  have  again  visited  this  wonder  of  nature  in  our  re- 
turn from  lake  Erie ;  and  have  now  gazed  upon  it  in  all 
lights,  and  at  all  hours,  —  under  the  rising,  meridian,  and 
setting  sun,  and  under  the  pale  moon  when 

"  Riding  in  ber  highest  noon." 

The  edge  of  the  Table  Rock  is  not  approached  without 
terror  at  the  latter  hour.  The  fairy  hues  are  now  all 
gone  ;  excepting  indeed,  the  rainbow,  which,  the  ghost  of 
what  it  was,  now  spans  a  dark  impervious  abyss.  The 
rays  of  the  sweet  planet  but  feebly  pierce  the  chill  dense 
vapour  that  clogs  the  atmosphere ;  they  only  kiss,  and 
coldly  kiss,  the  waters  at  the  brink,  and  faintly  show  the 


180  CATARACT  OF  NIAGARA. 

upper  half  of  the  columns,  now  black  as  ebony,  plunging 
into  a  storm-tossed  sea  of  murky  clouds,  whose  depth 
and  boundaries  are  alike  unseen.  It  is  the  storm  of  the 
elements  in  chaos.  The  shivering  mortal  stands  on  thr 
brink,  like  the  startled  fiend 

"  On  the  bare  outside  of  this  world, 
"  Uncertain  which,  in  ocean  or  in  air." 

"  La  buja  campagna 
"  Trem6  si  forte,  che  dello  spavento 
"  La  mente  di  sudore  ancormi  bagna." 


181     J, 


LETTER  XIV. 


LAKE  ERIE. WATER  SCENERY  OF  AMERICA. MASSACRE  ON 

THE    RIVER   RAISIN. NAVAL  ENGAGEMENT    ON   LAKE 

ERIE. MR.  BIRKBECK. 

Erie,  September,  1819. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

IT  is  a  pleasant  drive  from  Ontario  to  Lake  Erie  along 
the  banks  of  the  magnificent  Niagara.  There  is  some- 
thing truly  sublime  in  the  water  scenery  of  America  ;  her 
lakes,  spreading  into  inland  seas,  their  vast,  deep,  and 
pure  waters,  reflecting  back  the  azure  of  heavens,  un- 
tainted with  a  cloud  ;  her  rivers,  collecting  the  waters  of 
hills  and  plains  interminable,  rolling  their  massy  volumes 
for  thousands  of  miles,  now  broken  into  cataracts  to  which 
the  noblest  cascades  of  the  old  hemisphere  are  those  of 
rivulets,  and  then  sweeping  down  their  broad  channels  to 
the  far-off  ocean  the  treasures  of  a  world.  The  lakes  and 
rivers  of  this  continent  seem  to  despise  all  foreign  auxi- 
liaries of  nature  or  art,  and  trust  to  their  own  unassisted 
majesty  to  produce  effect  upon  the  eye  and  the  mind ; 
without  alpine  mountains  or  moss-grown  ruins,  they  strike 
the  spectator  with  awe.  Extent,  weight,  depth  —  it  is 
by  these  intrinsic  qualities  that  they  affect  him ;  their 
character  is  one  of  simple  grandeur ;  you  stand  upon  their 
brink,  or  traverse  their  bosom,  or  gaze  upbn  their  rolling 
rapids  and  tumbling  cataracts,  and  acknowledge  at  once 
their  power  and  immensity,  and  your  own  insignificance 


• 

1  82  WATER  SCENERY  OP  AMERICA. 

and  imbecility.  Occasionally  you  meet  with  exceptions 
to  this  rule.  I  recall  at  this  moment  the  beautiful  shores 
of  the  Passaic  ;  its  graceful  cascades,  its  walls  of  rock, 
shelving  into  a  glassy  peaceful  flood,  its  wooded  hills,  and 
rich  and  varied  landscapes,  all  spread  beneath  a  sky  of 
glowing  sapphires;  a  scene  for  Claude  to  gaze  upon. 
These  northwestern  waters,  however,  have  nothing  of 
this  character ;  you  find  them  bedded  in  vast  level  plains, 
bordered  only  by  sable  forests,  from  which  the  stroke  of 
the  axe  has  but  just  startled  the  panther  and  the  savage. 

The  Niagara  and  northwestern  frontier  still  exhibit 
some  faint  traces  of  the  war;  the  villages  and  towns  have 
indeed  sprung  up  like  the  Phenix  from  her  ashes  ;  yet  it 
is  to  be  wished,  for  the  sake  of  humanity,  that  their  vigour 
and  elasticity  had  not  been  so  proved. 

The  burning  of  Newark,  on  the  part  of  the  Americans, 
was  the  act  of  an  individual,  disclaimed  instantly  on  the 
part  of  the  government,  and  reprobated  by  the  American 
public.  The  governor  of  Canada  expressed  himself  sa- 
tisfied with  the  explanation  given,  and  it  had  been  well 
if  the  system  of  warfare  had  been  then  changed. 

It  might  have  been  conjectured  that,  in  the  burning  of 
Newark,  some  blind  vengeance  was  intended  for  the 
massacre  at  Frenchtown,  had  it  not  appeared  that  it  ori- 
ginated in  a  mistake  of  orders,  and  had  it  not  been  so 
honourably  disclaimed  by  the  government.  General 
M'Clure  was  dismissed  instantly  from  the  service,  and 
covered  with  opprobrium  by  his  fellow  citizens,  who  re- 
fused to  admit  a  mistake  of  orders  as  an  apology  for  an 
act  of  inhumanity. 

The  honour  of  a  government  may  often  be  committed 
by  officers  acting  under  its  name,  yet  contrary  to  its  wishes 
and  instructions.  Inquiry  and  condemnation  may  then 
avert  disgrace ;  but  if,  in  lieu  of  these,  favour  and  reward 
be  accorded  to  the  offenders,  their  employers  are  justly 
chargeable  with  all  their  crimes.  These  observations  natu- 


THE  RIVER  RAISIN.  183 

rally  occur  to  the  traveller  as  he  approaches  the  north- 
western frontier. 

We  must  turn  our  eyes  from  the  river  Raisin.  Would 
to  Heaven  that  we  could  find,  not  an  excuse,  for  that 
were  impossible,  but  some  palliation  of  the  horrors  perpe- 
trated on  this  spot !  It  were  well  to  commit  the  tale  to 
oblivion,  were  it  not  for  the  warning  that  breathes  from 
it,  and  which  must  never  be  forgotten  by  the  British  peo- 
ple. Many  of  their  most  generous  statesmen  had  repro- 
bated the  practice  of  associating  the  Indian  tribes  with 
the  British  soldiers.  If  there  be  yet  in  England  an  apolo- 
gist for  a  military  league  between  savage  hordes  and 
civilized  nations,  let  him  visit  the  shores  of  this  river  ;  the 
blood  that  here  cries  up  from  the  earth,  not  of  soldiers 
slain  in  battle,  but  of  wounded  prisoners  surrendered  upon 
terms,  and  trusting  in  British  faith,  will  convince  him, 
though  he  should  have  heard  unmoved  the  thunders  of  a 
Chatham. 

A  small  detachment,  composed  of  the  choicest  sons  of 
Kentucky,  many  of  them  allied  to  the  most  distinguished 
families  in  the  state,  had  advanced  to  the  little  village  of 
Frenchtown.  situated  between  the  rapids  and  Detroit,  on 
the  strait  which  pours  the  waters  of  the  great  northwest- 
ern lakes  into  Erie.  The  object  to  be  effected  was  to 
guard  the  inhabitants  from  an  advanced  party  of  the 
enemy,  peculiarly  dreaded  because  half  composed  of 
Indians ;  the  attempt  was  one  of  difficulty  and  hazard. 
This  little  band  of  volunteers  however,  with  infinite  brave- 
ry, had  dislodged  and  driven  back  the  enemy ;  and  be- 
ing joined  by  General  Winchester,  from  whose  main  body 
they  had  been  detached,  threw  up  a  rude  breastwork 
and  entrenched,  seven  hundred  and  fifty  strong,  against 
fifteen  hundred  or  upwards,  headed  by  Colonel  Proctor 
and  two  Indian  warriors.  After  some  furious  sallies,  in 
which  General  Winchester  was  made  prisoner,  the  Ame- 
ricans were  exhorted  to  surrender.  They  had  lost  nearly 


184  MASSACKE  ON 

a  third  of  their  little  number,  when  the  flag  ot  truce,  which 
had  been  twice  returned,  was  received  with  a  message 
from  Colonel  Proctor,  that,  unless  they  immediately  sur- 
rendered, they  and  the  village  must  be  delivered  to  the 
fury  of  the  savages.  They  at  length  capitulated  upon 
honourable  terms,  securing  the  safety  of  the  village,  the 
care  of  the  wounded,  the  burying  of  the  dead,  and  the  pro- 
tection of  the  prisoners.  How  were  these  engagements 
fulfilled  ?  —  The  British  commander  marched  off  his 
troops,  gave  his  prisoners  in  charge  to  the  savages,  and 
left  them,  with  the  wounded  and  the  dying,  to  be  toma- 
hawked and  roasted  at  the  stake.*  Did  not  the  thunders  of 
the  English  government  strike  this  English  officer?  Was  he 
thanked  at  home  as  he  was  in  Montreal  for  his  bravery  and 
humanity  ?  I  trust  that  the  English  government  was  not 

*  I  do  not  repeat  all  the  atrocities  of  the  scene  to  which  I  have  alluded  in 
the  text,  as  they  would  be  too  shocking  to  the  feelings  both  of  the  reader 
and  the  writer ;  but  there  is  one  circumstance  which  I  will  not  omit.  The 
American  General  Winchester,  who  had  been  taken  prisoner  in  the  sally, 
was  made  the  betrayer  of  his  own  men.  Being  told  by  Colonel,  now  I  be- 
lieve General  Proctor,  that  instant  surrender  could  alone  secure  them  from 
being  given  np  to  the  savages,  and  the  village  to  the  flames,  he  was  induced 
to  send  himself  a  flag  of  truce,  urging  them  to  accede  to  the  terms  proposed. 
Who  shall  paint  the  feelings  of  that  officer  when  he  found  himself  rendered 
an  accomplice  in  the  complicated  treachery  and  cruelty  !  There  were  some 
British  officers  who,  on  this  occasion,  felt  and  acted  as  they  ought  in  the  cause 
of  humanity  and  the  honour  of  their  country ;  Major  Muir,  Captains  Curtis 
and  Aikens,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Parrow,  and  Dr.  Bowen,  though  they  may  not  have 
received  any  mark  of  public  approbation  from  their  government,  are  secure 
of  the  esteem  of  the  English  as  they  possess  that  of  the  American  people. 
The  virtuous  M'Intosh  will  ever  live  in  the  remembrance  of  the  latter  ;  this 
gentleman  spared  no  exertions  to  redeem  the  lives  of  the  unfortunate  and  de- 
serted captives ;  he  tracked  the  Indians  for  miles  through  the  forests ;  and 
purchased,  at  a  high  price,  such  of  the  naked  and  fainting  Americans  as  the 
.savages,  weary  of  slaughter,  had  spared,  to  inflict  on  them  more  lingering 
tortures. 

When  this  gentleman  some  time  afterwards  visited  the  United  States,  his 
benevolence  was  amply  repaid ;  his  entrance  into  Baltimore  and  New-Or- 
leans had  the  appearance  of  a  triumph  :  the  whole  population  crowded  to 
gaze  upon  him.  and  every  honour  was  rendered  to  him  that  enthusiasm  could 


THE  RIVER  RAISIN. 

found  so  callous  to  the  honour  of  a  nation  that  has  ever 
laid  claim  to  the  character  of  generosity,  as  to  let  pass 
without  investigation  the  horrors  of  that  day,  still  less  to 
reward  with  promotion  the  officer  under  whose  eye  they 
were  perpetrated  !*  However  this  may  be,  they  did  not 
altogether  pass  without  punishment.  The  fate  of  war,  at 
the  opening  of  the  next  campaign,  threw  into  the  hands 
of  the  friends  and  relatives  of  these  unfortunate  men,  the 
very  enemies  who  had  betrayed  them.  With  a  refine- 
ment of  cruelty  that  must  have  tortured  the  inmost  souls 
of  their  prisoners,  they  forbore  even  to  upbraid  them  by  a 
look,  and  lodged  them  in  their  towns  and  private  dwell- 
ings with  the  minutest  and  most  fastidious  attention  to 
their  convenience.!  Lord  Castlereagh,  you  may  remem- 
ber, in  answer  to  some  remarks  made  in  the  House  of 
Commons  upon  the  humanity  of  the  Americans  to  their 
prisoners,  ascribed  it  to  fear.  It  would  be  little  surpri- 
sing, if  that  Irish  nobleman  felt  himself  interested  in  con- 
founding the  words  courage  and  cruelty.  The  English 
people,  however,  are  not  accustomed  to  account  them 
synonymous ;  and  should  it  be  decreed  that  they  and  the 
Anglo-Americans,  so  formed  by  nature  to  be  friends  and 
brothers,  are  ever  again  to  meet  as  enemies,  may  their 
voice  be  loudly  heard,  and  may  it  prevent  the  Indian  toma- 
hawk from  being  farther  associated  with  the  British  sword. 
In  Europe,  little  is  known  of  the  horrors  of  Indian  war- 

*  A  large  portion  of  the  Canadian  community  retrieved  the  honour  of  the 
colonial  character,  and  expressed  their  amazement  and  indignation  at  the 
thanks  bestowed  by  their  governor,  and  the  rewards  conferred  by  the  home 
authorities,  upon  the  officer  who  had  thus  dared  to  disgrace  his  profession 
and  his  nation. 

t  Among  those  who  expired  at  Frenchtown,  were  gentlemen  and  senators 
of  Kentucky,  members  of  congress,  &.C.,  for  of  such  citizens  were  the  volun- 
teers of  the  western  army  composed.  One  individual  was  a  near  relative  of 
the  celebrated  orator  and  statesman  Mr.  Clay,  and  almost  all  were  allied  to 
the  most  distinguished  families  in  his  state,  or  in  that  of  Ohio.  The  whole  po- 
pulation of  Kentucky  went  into  mourning,  and  their  weeds  were  scarcely 
thrown  aside,  when  they  received  their  captive  enemies  into  their  houses. 

'  26 


286  NAVAL  ENGAGEMEVr 

fare.  To  hunt  down  a  people  with  blood-hounds  would 
be  nothing  to  it.  His  war-whoop  is  the  yell  of  fiends  ;  age. 
sex,  infirmity  —  the  savage  knows  no  distinction  ;  nor  is 
it  death  alone,  but  death,  aggravated  by  tortures  and  in- 
fernal horrors,  that  madden  the  wretched  victim  before 
despatching  him.  The  only  excuse  ever  forged  for  Col. 
Proctor,  was  that  he  had  it  not  in  his  power  to  interfere  ; 
that  to  have  checked  the  ferocity  of  his  savage  allies,  had 
been  to  risk  the  loss  of  their  friendship  and  future  co-ope- 
ration. Such  an  argument,  without  screening  />/;«,  well 
exposes  the  atrocity  of  employing,  in  civilized  warfare, 
such  coadjutors.  Were  it  possible  to  enumerate  the 
number  of  helpless  individuals,  of  women  and  infants,  who 
have  expired  in  tortures  under  the  hands  of  savages  in 
league  with  European  governments,  it  is  not  impossible  but 
that  their  employers  might  shudder.  Let  us  hope  that 
the  last  of  these  outrages  has  been  committed,  and  that 
America,  henceforward,  is  to  find  in  her  English  brethren 
warm-hearted  friends,  or  high-minded  foes. 

I  turn  with  pleasure  from  the  dreadful  recollections 
awakened  by  the  name  of  Frenchtown.  The  broad  in- 
land sea,  now  spread  before  me,  recalls  an  action  of  a 
veiy  different  character.  The  naval  battle  fought  upon 
these  fine  waters,  was  equally  honourable  to  the  combat- 
ants of  either  nation.  It  was  the  generous  fighting  the 
generous.  The  praise  accorded  by  the  English  officer  to 
the  heroism  of  his  adversary,  had  as  much  of  greatness 
in  it,  as  had  his  adversary's  victory.  War,  when  thus 
conducted,  is  stripped  of  half  its  horrors  ;  nay,  it  has  in  it 
something  noble  when  we  find  it  calling  forth  the  greatest 
energies  with  the  best  feelings  of  our  nature. 

Those  who  estimate  the  importance  of  a  naval  combat 
by  the  size  of  the  ships  engaged,  may  pass  over  with  lit- 
tle interest  that  of  lake  Erie.  And  yet  the  fleet  that  here 
met  in  desperate  rencounter,  must  be  accounted  of  con- 
siderable force  and  size,  when  we  remember  that  it  floated 


ON  LAKE  ERIE.  187 

upon  a  fresh  water  sea.  The  ships  on  lake  Ontario  were 
equal,  and  latterly  superior,  in  size  to  the  proudest  frigates 
that  ever  floated  on  the  Atlantic.  The  bed  of  those 
magnificent  waters,  deepening  graduall  >  to  the  centre, 
like  the  crater  of  some  exhausted  volcano,  admits  of  the 
freest  navigation  ;  that  of  lake  Erie,  on  the  contrary,  is 
broken  by  shallows,  presenting  an  intricate  chart,  even 
to  the  fine  steamboat  which  now  navigates  these  wa- 
ters. 

Nine  vessels,  mounting  together  fifty-four  guns,  were 
here  opposed  by  the  Americans  to  six  larger  vessels, 
mounting  in  all  sixty-three  guns.  You  are  possibly  not 
acquainted  with  the  circumstance  which  decided  the  en- 
gagement. 

Commodore  Perry  (then  Captain)  having  contended 
for  two  hours  with  two  vessels  of  equal  force,  'and  the 
wind  preventing  any  of  his  squadron  from  making  to  his 
assistance,  he  determined  to  abandon  the  vessel  which  he 
could  no  longer  manage.  Rolling  her  flag  round  his  arm, 
he  sprang  into  her  boat,  and  thus,  standing  upright,  and 
waving  his  sword  triumphantly,  while  the  balls  rattled  in 
showers  round  his  head,  passed  through  the  midst  of  the 
enemy.  The  English  commander  is  said  to  have  uttered 
a  shout  of  admiration  as  his  young  and  proud  adversary 
passed  unhurt  through  his  fire.  Having  gained  the 
largest  vessel  of  his  little  fleet,  he  bore  down  again  upon 
the  enemy,  and  cutting  through  their  line,  for  some  mi- 
nutes engaged  four  of  their  flotilla  alone  and  simultane- 
ously. The  wind  gradually  enabling  the  rest  of  the  squad- 
ron to  support  their  commander,  the  struggle  was  decided ; 
when,  to  this  desperate  contest,  succeeded  those  kind  and 
generous  greetings  which  the  brave  know  how  to  ex- 
change with  the  brave.  The  noble-minded  Captain 
Barclay,  a  veteran  sailor,  who  had  lost  an  arm  in  the  bat- 
tle of  Trafalgar,  took  pride  in  declaring  publicly,  "  that 
the  conduct  of  Commodore  Perry  towards  himself,  the 


188  THE  BORDER  WAR. 

other  captive  officers  and  men,  had  been  alone  sufficient 
to  have  immortalized  him."  I  dwell  on  this  splendid  en- 
gagement with  pleasure.  It  tended  not  to  widen,  but  to 
heal  the  breach  between  two  nations  who  should  never 
be  at  war,  or  if  at  war,  should  contend  for  mastery,  not 
by  the  mere  exertion  of  brute  force,  but  by  the  display  of 
all  those  more  generous  virtues  which,  as  they  can  alone 
immortalize  conquest,  so  can  they  also  impart  honour  to 
defeat.* 

In  recalling  the  events  of  the  border  war  between  Ca- 
nada and  the  United  States,  there  is  one  singular  fact 
which  forces  itself  on  the  mind,  and  which  is  fraught  with 
an  important  lesson.  When  on  the  offensive,  the  Ame- 
ricans were  usually  defeated  ;  when  on  the  defensive,  as 
usually  successful.  Herein  lies  the  virtue  of  militia  as 
opposed  to  regular  troops  ;  and  it  is  this  too  which  gives 
so  peculiar  an  interest  to  both  the  wars  in  which  the  young 
America  has  been  engaged.  I  know  that  in  England, 
generally  speaking,  little  attention  was  paid  to  the  events 
of  a  contest  which,  to  her,  was  a  sort  of  by-play,  while 
occupied  in  a  deeper  game,  upon  which  she  had  staked 
her  all.  It  is  probable  indeed,  that  one  half  of  the  nation 
scarce  remembered  that  they  were  at  war  with  their 
young  rivals  in  the  new  world,  until  they  found  their  ships, 
one  by  one,  swept  from  the  seas  by  a  people  they  had 
scarce  deigned  to  consider  as  holding  the  place  of  an  in- 
dependent nation.  They  then  looked  round  and  grew 
angry.  This,  if  not  very  wise,  was  perhaps  very  natural : 

*  Commodore  Perry,  who  appears  to  have  united  every  quality  that  goes 
to  the  forming  of  a  hero  —  bravery,  magnanimity,  ardent  patriotism,  disin- 
terested generosity,  unassuming  modesty  and  gentleness,  died  at  Angostura 
of  the  yellow  fever  about  the  period  of  the  date  of  this  letter.  He  had  sailed 
on  a  mission  from  his  government  to  that  of  the  Patriots.  When  the  tidings 
of  his  premature  death  reached  Washington,  the  members  of  the  two  houses 
of  Congress  went  into  mourning ;  an  honour  that  is  never  paid,  but  to  tno 
most  respected  and  distinguished  sons  of  the  republic.  A  provision  also  wa* 
voted  to  his  widow,  and  his  children  taken  under  the  national  guardianship. 


INLAND  NAVIGATION.  189 

and  those  who  mortified  the  pride  of  the  most  powerful 
of  the  then  existing  European  empires,  may  well  excuse 
if  they  excited  her  indignation.  But  it  is  time  that  this 
jealousy  should  subside.  The  more  thinking  and  the 
more  generous  will  now  consider,  with  much  interest,  the 
little  history  of  that  struggle  which  established  America's 
independence,  fixed  and  elevated  her  national  character, 
and  gave  her  an  opportunity  of  displaying  those  energies 
and  virtues  which  liberty  had  secretly  nourished  in  the 
breasts  of  her  people.  She  may  justly  be  proud  of  the 
late  contest ;  it  did  honour  to  her  head  and  her  heart ; 
she  fought  a  second  time  for  independence  and  existence, 
and,  as  all  must  do  who  fight  for  these,  she  conquered. 

Settlements  are  fast  springing  up  on  the  forested  shores 
of  lake  Erie.  The  situation  is  wonderfully  advantageous 
to  the  farmer.  I  have  already  spoken  of  the  canal,  so 
far  in  progress,  which  is  about  to  open  a  free  water-car- 
riage from  these  waters  to  the  Eastern  Atlantic.  Ano- 
ther, of  only  a  few  miles  extent,  is  in  contemplation, 
which,  by  connecting  them  with  the  Alleghany,  one  of  the 
main  sources  of  the  Ohio,  will  perfect  the  line  of  communi- 
cation with  the  gulf  of  Mexico,  an  extent  of  3,400  miles. 

It  is  impossible  to  consider  without  admiration  the  inland 
navigation  of  this  magnificent  country.  From  this  fine 
basin,  north  and  west,  you  open  into  lakes  and  rivers 
which,  not  many  years  hence,  will  pour  into  it  the  pro- 
duce of  human  labour  from  states  now  in  embryo ;  to 
the  northeast,  these  accumulated  waters  seek  their  way 
to  the  Atlantic,  through  the  broad  channel  of  the  St. 
Lawrence  ;  to  the  southeast,  they  are  about  to  commu- 
nicate with  the  same  ocean  by  the  magnificent  Hudson  ; 
to  the  south  and  west,  stretch  the  vast  waters  of  the  Mis- 
sissippi with  his  million  of  tributaries.  There  is  some- 
thing unspeakably  sublime  in  the  vast  extent  of  earthly 
domain  that  here  opens  to  the  mind's  eye ;  and  truly  sub- 
lime is  its  contemplation,  when  we  consider  the  life  and 


190  THE  INDIAN. 

energy  with  which  it  is  fast  teeming.  An  industrious  and 
enlightened  people,  laying  in  the  wilderness  the  founda- 
tions of  commonwealth  after  commonwealth,  based  on 
justice  and  the  immutable  rights  of  man  !  What  heart  so 
cold  as  to  contemplate  this  unmoved  ! 

The  other  morning,  wandering  from  the  little  village 
which  afforded  us  lodging,  I  had  gained,  by  a  swampy 
thicket,  the  beach  of  the  lake.  Admiring  the  first  blaze 
of  the  sun,  which  flashed  over  the  waters,  and  tinged  the 
crest  of  the  waves  that  rippled  its  azure  surface,  and  broke 
on  the  pebbled  beach,  fresh  and  sounding  as  those  of  the 
ocean,  I  came  suddenly  upon  a  solitary  figure,  seated  on 
a  little  rock  that  lay  at  the  edge  of  the  water ;  —  it  was 
anv  Indian:  his  tomahawk  rested  upon  his  shoulder;  his 
moccasins  ornamented  with  the  stained  quills  of  the  por- 
cupine, and  his  hat  grotesquely  and  tawdrily  decked  with 
feathers  and  strips  of  tin  :  the  countenance  had  much  in 
it  of  dignity  and  savage  grandeur :  the  cheek-bones  were 
not  so  high,  nor  the  face  so  flat  as  is  usual  with  the  Indian 
physiognomy ;  not  that  it  was  handsome  ;  wind  and  wea- 
ther-beaten, its  copper  hue,  deepened  by  the  gaze  of  some 
forty  suns,  a  scar  under  the  left  eye,  its  character  might 
rather  have  been  denominated  hideous.  He  suffered  my 
gaze,  as  is  usual  with  his  race,  without  turning  his  head. 
I  know  not  whether  he  was  musing  upon  the  fallen 
strength  of  his  tribe,  and  on  the  days  when  liis  fathers 
pursued  their  game  through  unbroken  forests  and  desert 
prairies,  where  now  are  smiling  hamlets  and  waving  fields 
of  grain  ;  I  could  at  the  moment  have  mused  on  these  for 
him ;  and  sighed  that  even  this  conquest  of  the  peaceful 
over  the  savage  arts,  should  have  been  made  at  the  ex- 
pense of  his  wild  race.  But,  in  fact,  how  singular,  and, 
for  the  well-being  of  man,  how  glorious  the  change,  which 
has  turned  these  vast  haunts  of  panthers,  wolves,  and  sa- 
vages, into  the  abode  of  industry,  and  the  sure  asylum  of 
the  oppressed.  What  a  noble  edifice  has  here  been  raised 


MR.  BIRKBECK.  191 

for  hunted  Liberty  to  dwell  in  securely  !  It  is  impossible 
to  tread  the  soil  of  America,  and  not  bless  it ;  impossible 
to  consider  her  growing  wealth  and  strength  without  re- 
joicing. 

We  felt  no  small  desire  to  strike  south  from  Erie  to 
Pittsburgh,  and  view  with  our  own  eyes  the  growing 
wonders  of  the  western  territory ;  but  our  plans  having 
been  previously  arranged  for  the  descent  of  the  St.  Law- 
rence, we  retrace  our  course  to  Ontario. 

You  have  expressed,  in  your  late  letters,  some  curiosity 
regarding  the  condition  of  Mr.  Birkbeck's  settlement  in 
the  Illinois;  adding  that  the  report  has  prevailed,  that 
those  spirited  emigrants  had  been  at  first  too  sanguine, 
and  had  too  little  foreseen  the  difficulties  which  the  most 
fortunate  settler  must  encounter.  This  report,  I  believe, 
to  have  originated  with  Mr.  Gobbet,  who  thought  proper 
to  pronounce  upon  the  condition  of  the  farmer  in  the  Illi- 
nois in  his  own  dwelling  upon  Long-Island.  Feeling  an 
interest  in  the  success  of  our  countrymen  in  the  west,  I 
have  been  at  some  pains  to  inform  myself  as  to  their  ac- 
tual condition.  The  following  statement  is  chiefly  taken 
Jrom  the  letters  of  two  American  gentlemen  of  our  ac- 
quaintance who  have  just  visited  the  settlement :  t.'iey 
inform  me,  that  its  situation  possesses  all  those  positive 
advantages  stated  by  Mr.  Birkbeck  ;  that  the  worst  diffi- 
culties have  been  surmounted,  and  that  these  have  always 
been  fewer  than  what  are  frequently  encountered  in  a 
new  country. 

The  village  of  Albion,  the  centre  of  the  settlement,  con- 
tains at  present  thirty  habitations,  in  which  are  found  a 
bricklayer,  a  carpenter,  a  wheelright,  a  cooper,  and  a 
blacksmith ;  a  well  supplied  shop,  a  little  library,  an  inn, 
a  chapel,  and  a  post  office,  where  the  mail  regularly  ar- 
rives twice  a  week.  Being  situated  on  a  ridge,  between 
the  greater  and  little  Wabash,  it  is,  from  its  elevated  po- 
sition, and  from  its  being  some  miles  removed  from  the 


192  REMARKS  OX  THE 

rivers,  peculiarly  dry  and  healthy.  The  prairie  in  which 
it  stands,  is  described  as  exquisitely  beautiful ;  lawns  of 
unchanging  verdure,  spreading  over  hills  and  dales,  scat- 
tered with  islands  ofluxuriant  trees,  dropped  by  the  hand 
of  nature  with  a  taste  that  art  could  not  rival  —  all  this 
spread  beneath  a  sky  of  glowing  and  unspotted  sapphires. 
"•  The  most  beautiful  parks  of  England,"  rny  friend  ob- 
serves, "  would  afford  a  most  imperfect  comparison." 
The  soil  is  abundantly  fruitful,  and,  of  course,  has  an 
advantage  over  the  heavy-timbered  lands,  which  can 
scarcely  be  cleared  for  less  than  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
dollars  per  acre ;  while  the  Illinois  farmer  may  in  general 
clear  his  for  less  than  five,  and  then  enter  upon  a  much 
more  convenient  mode  of  tillage.  The  objection  that  is 
too  frequently  found  to  the  beautiful  prairies  of  the  Illinois, 
is  the  deficiency  of  springs  and  streams  for  mill-seats. 
This  is  attended  with  inconvenience  to  the  settler,  though 
his  health  will  find  in  it  advantage.  The  nearest  naviga- 
ble river  to  Albion  is  the  Wabash,  eight  miles  distant ; 
the  nearest  running  stream,  that  is  not  liable  to  fail  at 
midsummer,  the  Bonpaw,  four  miles  distant.  The  stock 
water  in  ponds  for  cattle,  our  correspondent  judged,  was 
liable  to  run  dry  in  a  few  weeks ;  and  the  settlement  ap- 
prehended some  temporary  inconvenience  from  the  cir- 
cumstance. The  finest  water  is  every  where  to  be  raised 
from  twenty  to  twenty-five  or  thirty  feet  from  the  surface  ; 
these  wells  never  fail,  but  are  of  course  troublesome  to 
work  in  a  new  settlement.* 

The  settlement  of  Albion  must  undoubtedly  possess 
some  peculiar  attractions  for  an  English  emigrant,  pro- 

•  The  same  objection,  "  the  want  of  fountains  and  running  streams,"  is 
stated  by  Mr.  Brackenridge  as  existing  in  the  prairies  of  the  Missouri  ;  and, 
I  have  been  informed,  is  generally  applicable  to  all  the  prairie  lands  of  the 
western  territory,  when  removed  from  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the 
great  water.  Mr.  Brackenridge  states  the  depth  of  the  wells  in  the  Missouri 
at  the  same  rate  as  that  stated  above  for  those  of  the  Illinois. 


EUROPEAN  EMIGRANTS.  193 

uusing  him,  as  it  does,  the  society  of  his  own  countrymen, 
an  actual  or  ideal  advantage  to  which  he  is  seldom  insen- 
sible. Generally  speaking,  however,  it  may  ultimately 
be  as  well  for  him  as  for  the  community  to  which  he  at- 
taches himself,  that  he  should  become  speedily  incorpo- 
rated with  the  people  of  the  soil.  It  is  not  every  man 
who  is  gifted  with  the  vigorous  intellect  and  liberal  senti- 
ments of  Mr.  Birkbeck ;  many  emigrants  bring  with 
them  prejudices  and  predilections  which  can  only  be  rub- 
bed away  by  a  free  intercourse  with  the  natives  of  the 
country.  By  sitting  down  at  once  among  them,  they  will 
more  readily  acquire  an  accurate  knowledge  of  their  po- 
litical institutions,  and  learn  to  estimate  the  high  privileges 
which  these  impart  to  them ;  and  thus,  attaching  them- 
selves to  their  adopted  country,  not  from  mere  sordid  mo- 
tives of  interest,  but  also  from  feeling  and  principle,  be- 
come, not  only  naturalized,  but  nationalized.  I  have  met 
with  but  too  many  in  this  country  who  have  not  advanced 
beyond  the  former.  I  must  observe  also,  that  the  Euro- 
pean farmer  and  mechanic  are  usually  far  behind  the 
American  in  general  and  practical  knowledge,  as  well  as 
enterprise.  You  find  in  the  working  farmer  of  these 
states,  a  store  of  information,  a  dexterity  in  all  the  ma- 
nual arts,  and  often  a  high  tone  of  national  feeling,  to 
which  you  will  hardly  find  a  parallel  among  the  same 
class  elsewhere.  His  advice  and  assistance,  always  free- 
ly given  to  those  who  seek  it,  will  be  found  of  infinite  ser- 
vice to  a  stranger ;  it  will  often  save  him  from  many  rash 
speculations,  at  the  same  time  that,  it  will  dispose  him  to 
see  things  in  their  true  light,  and  to  open  his  eyes  and 
heart  to  all  the  substantial  advantages  that  surround  him. 
It  is  amusing  to  observe  the  self-importance  with  which 
the  European  emigrant  often  arrives  in  these  states.  The 
Frenchman  imagines,  that  he  is  to  new-model  the  civic 
militia,  or,  at  the  least,  the  whole  war  department  in  the 
city  of  Washington  ;  the  Englishman,  that  he  is  to  effect 


194  REMARKS  ON  THK 

a  revolution  iu  agriculture  by  introducing  the  cultivation 
of  the  turnip  and  the  planting  of  hedge  rows  ;  the  Scotch- 
man, that  he  is  to  double  the  national  produce  by  turning 
out  the  women  to  work  in  the  fields ;  and  even  the  poor 
German  conceives,  that  he  is  to  give  new  sinews  to  thr 
state,  heighten  the  flavour  of  the  Kentucky  tobacco,  and 
expand  the  souls  of  the  citizens  who  smoke  it.* 

France  and  Ireland,  the  former  from  her  political  revo- 
lutions, and  the  latter  from  her  misfortunes,  have  sent. 
among  the  crowd  of  poorer  emigrants,  many  accomplish- 
ed and  liberal-minded  gentlemen,  who  have  assumed  a 
high  place  in  this  community;  but,  till  very  lately,  Fcdi.- 
ral  America  has  seen  few  of  our  countrymen  except  the 
vulgar  and  the  illiterate.  The  exceptions  to  this  rule, 
however,  are  now  multiplying  yearly ;  this  will  conse- 
quently make  this  nation  better  known,  and  therefore 
more  esteemed  in  our  island.  A  friend  to  the  latter  can 
perhaps  hardly  rejoice  in  this  ;  to  see  England  drained  ot 
her  best  citizens  may  justly  excite  the  grief  of  her  patriots, 
and  the  jealousy  of  her  rulers  ;  and  yet  what  would  the 
latter  have  ;  should  these  Hampdens  stay,  it  might  be  to 
"  push"  them  "  from  their  stools."  as  their  fathers  did  their 


"  The  German  self-importance  has  lately  been  most  amiu-ingly  set  forth  in 
the  work  of  a  M.  Von  Fursteuwarther,  entitled,  The  German  in  America. 
His  observations,  written  after  three  months'  residence  in  the  United  States-, 
with  scarcely  a  smattering  of  the  English  language,  are  truly  entertaining.  1 
cannot  forbear  quoting  a  sentence.  "  If  the  Americans  are  justly  proud  of 
their  civil  freedom,  and  of  their  freedom  in  thinking,  printing  and  speaking, 
and  in  the  social  life,  they  still  know  not  that  higher  freedom  of  the  soul 
which  is  to  be  found  only  in  Europe  ;  —  and,  I  say  it  boldly,  most  abundantly 
in  Germany."  I  am  indebted  for  all  the  acquaintance  that  I  possess  with 
this  curious  production  to  a  paper  in  the  North  American  Review.  This 
work,  conducted  by  Professor  Everett,  of  the  University  of  Cambridge,  Bos- 
ton, may  be  read  with  almost  equal  interest  in  either  hemisphere.  I  pretend 
"not  to  be  able  to  appreciate  all  its  merits  ;  but  those  who  are  not  qualified  t« 
do  justice  to  its  profound  learning,  must  still  admire  its  just  and  candid  criti- 
cism, delivered  with  gentlemanly  forbearance ;  its  elegant  diction,  liberal 
views,  and  sound  philosophy. 


EUROPEAN  EMIGRANTS. 

predecessors  :  they  depart,  and  the  mighty  are  left  to  sit 
in  state  until  their  "  stools"  shall  break  down  beneath 
them.  It  is  idle  for  travellers  to  deface  this  Hesperia  ; 
they  may  deceive  the  many  ignorant,  and  a  few  wise,  but 
what  then  ?  Are  the  poor  made  richer,  and  the  dissatis- 
fied more  content.  The  farmer  complains  that  he  sows 
and  reaps  for  others ;  that  the  clergy,  the  state,  and  the 
parish,  carry  off  the  produce,  and  leave  him  the  gleanings. 
"  It  is  not  thus,"  he  observes,  "  in  America."  He  is  an- 
swered that,  in  America,  "  he  will  not  meet  with  even  an 
approach  to  simplicity  and  honesty  of  mind  ;"  that  "  a  non- 
intercourse  act  seems  to  have  passed  against  the  sciences, 
morals,  and  literature ;"  that  "  in  Philadelphia  the  colour 
of  the  young  females  is  produced  by  art ;"  and  that  "  every 
'man  in  the  United  States  thinks  himself  arrived  at  perfec- 
tion."* Now  were  all  this  nonsense  true,  what  answer 
were  it  to  the  observation  of  the  farmer  ?  He  objects  to 
tithes,  taxes,  and  poor  rates  ;  and  he  is  told  of  sciences  and 
morals,  and  paint  upon  ladies'  faces.  I  laugh,  but  truly 
there  is  more  cause  to  sigh.  Are  the  English  yeomen 
kept  to  their  sacred  hearths  only  by  such  gossiping  as 
this  ?  Must  they  be  frightened  to  stay  at  home  with 
scarecrows  that  a  child  might  laugh  at  ?  Truly  the  peo- 
ple who  are  thus  cozened,  are  more  insulted  than  the  peo- 
ple who  are  thus  libelled.  Could  the  graves  yield  up  their 
dead,  how  would  the  sturdy  patriots  of  England's  better 
days  look  upon  these  things  ? 

*  See  Fearon's  Sketches  of  America. 


LETTER  X\  . 


UPPER  CANADA.  MR.  GOURLAY.  POOH  EMIGRANTS.  — - 

DESCENT  OF  THE  ST.  LAWRENCE.  MONTREAL  AND 

LOWER  CANADA. 

Montreal,  September,  1819. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

1  SHALL  send  you  a  few  details  respecting  our  route  along 
the  Canada  frontier;  both  because  I  find  little  leisure 
for  making  notes,  and  because  I  can  impart  little  that  is 
new. 

I  was  surprised  to  find  much  discontent  prevailing 
among  the  poorer  settlers  in  Upper  Canada  :  I  could  not 
always  understand  the  grounds  of  their  complaint,  but 
l.hey  seemed  to  consider  Mr.  Gourlay  as  having  well  ex- 
plained them.  Mr.  Gourlay,  you  would  see,  was  prose- 
cuted, and  his  pamphlets  declared  libels :  not  having  read 
them,  I  cannot  pronounce  upon  either  their  merits  or  de- 
merits ;  but  they  certainly  appear  to  have  spoken  the  sen- 
timents of  the  poorer  settlers,  whose  cause  he  had  abetted 
against  the  more  powerful  land -holders,  land-surveyors, 
and  government  agents.  One  ground  of  complaint,  if 
just,  should  certainly  be  attended  to,  and  might,  one  would 
thick,  without  much  difficulty,  —  that  the  emigrants  are 
often  sent  so  far  into  the  interior,  and  at  so  great  a  dis- 
tance one  from  another,  as  to  be  exposed  to  insurmounta- 
ble difficulties  and  labour.  The  case  of  one  poor  but 
intelligent  settler,  as  stated  to  me  by  himself,  moved  in  no 
small  degree  my  compassion. 


UPPER  CANADA.  197 

The  sufferings  from  which  these  poor  creatures  fly  — 
I  will  take  for  instance  the  starving  paupers  of  Ireland, 
who  throng  here  without  a  farthing  in  their  hands,  and 
scarce  a  rag  upon  their  backs,  —  the  sufferings  of  these 
poor  creatures,  humanity  might  hope  were  ended  when 
thrown  upon  these  shores ;   but  too  often  they  are  in- 
creased tenfold  :     First  come  the  horrors  of  the  voyage  ; 
ill-fed,  ill-clothed,  and  not  unfrequently  crowded  together 
as  if  on  board  a  prison-ship,  it  is  not  uncommon  for  a 
fourth,  and  even  a  third  of  the  live  cargo  to  be  swept  off 
by  disease  during  this  mid-passage.     I  have  sometimes 
thought,  if  the  societies  for  the  suppression  of  vice  would 
employ  some  part  of  their  funds  in  fitting  out  these  poor 
creatures  in  clean  and  well  regulated  ships,  under  the 
charge  of  honest  and  humane  captains,  and  in  furnishing 
them  with  the  means  of  subsistence  in  these  distant  co- 
lonies, until  they  can  be  settled  upon  the  lands,  —  I  have 
thought  that  they  would  render  more  substantial  service 
to  their  fellow  creatures,  than  the  best  they  may  have 
rendered  at  present.     You  will  conceive  the  sufferings  of 
a  troop  of  half-clad  paupers,  turned  adrift  in  this  Siberia, 
as  it  often  happens,  at  the  close  of  autumn  ;  the  delays, 
perhaps  unavoidable,  which  occur  after  their  landing,  be- 
fore they  are  sent  to  their  station  in  the  howling  wilder- 
ness, kill  some,  and  break  the  spirit  of  others.     Many 
are  humanely  sheltered  by  Canadian  proprietors,  not  a 
few  find  their  way  to  the  United  States,  and  are  thrown 
upon  the  charity  of  the  city  of  New- York.     After  fear- 
ful hardships,  some  rear  at  last  their  cabin  of  logs  in  the 
savage  forest ;  polar  winds  and  snows,  dreary  solitudes, 
agues,  and  all  the  train  of  evils  and  privations  which 
must  be  found  in  a  Canadian  desert,  —  surely  it  needs 
not  the  art  of  man  to  increase  the  settler's  troubles. 

It  is  curious  to  see  how  patient  men  are  of  physical 
sufferings  when  endured  voluntarily,  and  when  they  have 
it  not  in  their  power  to  charge  them  upon  their  rulers. 


UPPER  CANADA. 

On  the  southern  shores  of  lake  Ontario,  heaven  knows? 
we  found  sickness  sufficient  to  have  broken  down  the 
stoutest  spirits ;  and  yet  there  we  never  heard  a  com- 
plaint. On  its  northern  shores,  we  found  discontent  every 
where  ;  perhaps  it  was  often  unjust ;  but  it  is  in  human 
nature  to  charge  our  calamities  upon  others  whenever  a 
pretext  is  afforded  us.  The  only  sure  way  to  keep  the 
peace,  therefore,  is  to  remove  all  pretext.  This  being 
done  in  the  United  States,  a  man  shivers  in  the  ague, 
swallows  his  remedies,  recovers  or  dies,  without  having 
quarrelled  with  any  one,  save  perhaps  with  his  apothe- 
cary. 

How  strangely  do  statesmen  employ  money  !  Hun- 
dreds of  thousands  lodged  in  frigates  larger  than  ever 
fought  at  Trafalgar,  — in  naval  and  military  stores,  bat- 
teries, martello  towers.  —  Where  ?  Upon  the  shores  of 
the  Canadian  Siberia.  To  do  what  ?  To  protect  wolves 
and  bears  from  a  more  speedy  dislodgement  from  frozen 
deserts,  which  would  little  repay  the  trouble  of  invading  ; 
-and  some  few  thousands  of  a  people,  scattered  along  an 
endless  line  of  forest,  from  the  infection  of  republican  prin- 
ciples. What  a  magnificent  idea  does  this  convey  of  the 
wealth  of  that  country  which  could  thus  ship  treasures 
across  the  Atlantic  to  be  flung  into  the  wilderness  !  How 
flourishing  must  be  her  condition !  how  full,  to  overflowing, 
her  coffers  I  Surely  her  people  must  be  princes  ;  her  mer- 
chants, kings ;  and  her  kings,  the  Incas  of  Peru  !*  But 
whereto  tends  all  this  ?  Will  it  answer  the  purpose,  with- 
out asking  whether  the  purpose  be  worth  answering  ? 
"  An  army  of  opinions  can  pierce  where  an  army  of  sol- 

*  Lieutenant  Hall  states  the  disbursements  at  Kingston  during  the  war  at 
"  £1000  per  diem  ;"  the  expense  of  the  frigate  St.  Lawrence  at  £300,000. 
I  was  informed  by  a  gentleman  loug  resident  in  Canada,  that  the  ships  of 
war  sent  from  England  in  frame  to  be  employed  on  Lake  Ontario,  were  all 
supplied  with  stills.  "  Do  the  people  of  London  take  this  lake  for  a  strip  of 
the  ocean,"  exclaimed  thr  Canadian'.-  "  that  they  sr-m!  us  a  machine  to 
i»s  wntnr*  ?" 


UPPER  CANADA.  199 

diers  cannot."  A  people  learn  to  grumble,  and  then 
what  becomes  of  troops,  frigates,  batteries,  and  martello 
towers  ?  The  petty  squabbles  which  agitate  a  colony, 
are  like  those  which  split  the  ears  in  a  country  town. 
Let  those  who  listen,  understand ;  there  are  those,  how- 
ever, whose  business  it  is  to  listen  ;  and  such  might  pos- 
sibly find  the  prevention  of  abuses  a  surer,  as  well  as  a 
cheaper,  way  of  securing  their  authority,  than  the  erec- 
tion and  maintenance  of  garrisons  and  all  the  et  ceteras 
attached  to  them.  If  the  Canadas  are  not  the  most  ex- 
pensive of  the  British  colonies,  are  they  not  the  most  use- 
less ?  One  would  think  so  to  look  at  them. 

Two  immense  steamboats,  from  four  to  five  hundred 
tons'  burden,  now  navigate  Ontario,  in  lieu  of  the  mighty 
ships  of  war,  that  sleep  peacefully  in  their  harbours  on 
either  shore.  The  American  has  every  possible  con- 
venience, as  is  common  with  all  these  floating  hotels, 
found  on  the  waters  of  the  United  States ;  the  Canadian 
(probably  from  having  been  established  for  the  transporta- 
tion of  soldiers,  stores  and  goods  of  various  kinds,  rather 
than  for  the  service  of  passengers)  is  dirty  and  ill  attend- 
ed. There  is  now  also  a  fine  steamboat,  of  a  smaller  size, 
plying  between  Kingston  and  Prescott,  a  flourishing  vil- 
lage in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  rapids ;  and  another  will 
soon  be  launched  upon  the  Lake  St.  Francis,  when  tilt- 
navigation  of  the  river  will  be  yet  farther  facilitated. 

We  preferred  to  take  our  way  with  more  leisure  and 
less  convenience  than  would  have  been  afforded  by  a 
steamboat  passage  ;  a  curiosity,  perhaps,  ill  repaid  at  the 
expense  of  much  fatigue,  and,  for  myself,  with  a  slight  fe- 
ver, that,  however,  did  not  prove  the  maladie  du  pays. 
We  found  the  intermitting  or  lake  fever,  as  it  is  styled  in 
the  country,  prevailing  very  generally,  especially  along 
the  shores  of  the  St.  Lawrence.  I  cannot  advise  a  travel- 
ler to  choose  the  autumn  for  the  descent  of  this  river. 
The  wintry  chills  and  heavy  fogs  of  the  night,  succeeding 


200  i.AAADA. 

/ 

to  the  scorching  heats  of  the  day,  and  this  in  an  open  bat- 
teau,  are  what  few  constitutions  can  undergo  with  impu- 
nity. The  varieties  of  climate  endured  in  the  space  ot 
twenty-four  hours  on  these  northern  waters,  and  in  the  un- 
cleared districts  in  their  neighbourhood,  during  this  sea- 
son, surpass  all  you  can  have  an  idea  of,  and  are  what  I 
certainly  should  not  choose  to  experience  a  second  time. 

At  Kingston  we  took  to  the  water  in  a  well  manned 
batteau,  which  brought  us  in  four  days  and  the  better 
part  of  three  nights,  (for  we  were  seldom  tempted  by  the 
nature  of  our  accommodations  to  rest  more  than  a  few 
hours,)  to  La  Chine,  seven  miles  above  Montreal. 

There  is  something  impressive  in  the  savage  monotony 
of  the  Canadian  frontier.  The  vast  river,  the  black  ce- 
dars which  line  its  shores,  and  crown  its  rocky  islands ; 
the  settler's  cabin  peering  out  of  the  shades,  and  here  and 
there  a  little  village,  and  a  line  of  cultivation  breaking 
upon  the  desert ;  add  to  this  the  profound  silence,  broken 
only  by  the  discordant  voices  of  your  Canadian  boatmen, 
as  they  hail  some  distant  solitary  canoe,  or  rise  and  fall  in 
harsh  cadence  to  the  paddle  and  the  oar.  There  is  little 
m  such  sceneiy  to  talk  or  write  about ;  yet  it  has  its  effer?. 
on  the  mind.  Salvator  might  sometimes  find  a  subject, 
when  the  night  closes  upon  these  black  solitudes,  and  the 
Canadian  boatman  kindles  his  fire  on  the  bare  granite, 
while,  below,  the  waters  sleep  in  sullen  calm,  and  above, 
the  dark  boughs  of  a  scathed  cedar  flicker  with  the  flame. 

The  rapids  present  a  singular  scene,  especially  when 
you  are  in  the  midst  of  them.  The  breakers  dashing 
to  right  and  left,  the  big  green  billows  crested  with  foam 
tossing  your  bark  at  their  mercy,  and  driving  it  onwards 
with  the  speed  of  light.  You  here  find  the  Niagara  in  all 
his  grandeur. 

It  is  a  beautiful  little  drive  from  La  Chine  to  Montreal, 
though  you  make  it  not  in  the  most  elegant,  but  that  wei v 
a  small  matter,  were  it  a  more  wciir?.  vehicle  :  the  tack 


CANADA. 


201 


ling  (for  it  could  not  be  called  harness)  of  our  steed  gave 
way  once,  and  a  fellow  traveller  absolutely  came  to  the 
ground  twice,  "  mais  ce  n'est  pas  ioujours  ainsi,"  as  our 
charioteer  assured  us.  But  though  it  should  be  always 
the  same,  the  traveller's  neck  is  but  little  endangered  ;  for 
though  the  tottering  caleche  is  mounted  sufficiently  high, 
the  Canadian  steed  moves  sufficiently  slow,  so  that  if  you 
fall  far,  you  will  fall  gently. 

It  is  a  pleasant  relief  to  the  eye,  tired  with  the  contem- 
plation of  dreary  forests,  and  wide  watery  wastes,  when 
the  fair  seigniory  of  Montreal  suddenly  opens  before  you. 
Rich  and  undulating  lands  sprinkled  with  villas,  and 
bounded  on  one  hand  by  wooded  heights,  and  on  the  other 
by  the  grey  city ;  its  tin  roofs  and  spires  then  blazing  in 
the  setting  sun  :  the  vast  river,  chafed  by  hidden  rocks 
into  sounding  and  foaming  rapids,  and  anon  spreading  his 
waters  into  a  broad  sheet  of  molten  gold,  speckled  with 
islands,  batteaux  and  shipping :  the  distant  shore,  with  its 
dark  line  of  forest,  broken  by  little  villages,  penciled  on 
the  glowing  sky,  and  far  off,  two  solitary  mountains,  rai- 
sing their  blue  heads  in  the  vermil  glories  of  the  horizon, 
like  sapphires  chased  in  rubies.  Along  the  road,  French 
faces,  with  all  the  harshness  of  feature  and  good  humour 
of  expression  peculiar  to  the  national  physiognomy,  look- 
ed and  gossiped  from  door  and  window,  orchard  and 
meadow ;  a  passing  salutation  easily  winning  a  smile  and 
courteous  obeisance.  We  were  for  some  miles  escorted 
on  our  way  by  the  good-humoured  and  loquacious  pilot, 
whose  songs  had  for  so  many  days  measured  time  to  the 
stroke  of  his  paddle*  I  yet  hear  his  reiterated  parting 
benedictions,  and  see  the  wild  grimaces  with  which  they 
were  accompanied. 

The  population  of  Lower  is  strangely  contrasted  with 
that  of  Upper  Canada ;  nor  do  they  appear  to  know  much 
concerning  each  other.  In  one  thing  only  are  they  said 
to  be  agreed,  —  in  a  thorough  detestation  of  their  repub- 

28 


'202  CANADA. 

lican  neighbours.  In  Upper  Canada,  however,  so  far  as 
my  observations  went,  I  did  not  find  that  this  hostile  feel- 
ing was  much  shared  by  the  poorer  settlers.  In  either 
colony  where  the  hostility  exists,  it  is  very  easily  account- 
ed for:  in  one,  by  the  jealousy  of  the  power  and  wealth 
of  the  republic ;  and  in  the  other  by  the  influence  of  the 
priests. 

In  ignorance  and  infatuated  superstition,  the  Canadian 
remains  in  statu  quo^  as  when  he  first  migrated  from  his 
native  France.  Guarded  from  the  earthquake  by  British 
protection,  the  shock  of  the  revolution  was  in  no  degree, 
however  small,  felt  here ;  the  priest  continues  to  hood- 
wink and  fleece  the  people,  and  the  people  to  pamper  and 
worship  the  priest,  just  as  in  the  good  old  times.  You 
may  learn  some  curious  particulars  here  concerning  the 
policy  of  the  London  cabinet,  as  connected  with  that  of 
Rome.  Among  other  things,  a  request  has  lately  been 
preferred  to  the  Pope,  that  he  will  raise  the  bishopric  of 
Quebec  into  an  arch-bishopric ;  and  the  prelate  of  this 
Canadian  diocess  is  now  about  to  embark  for  Italy,  to  re- 
ceive from  the  hands  of  his  Holiness  this  addition  to  his 
honours.  The  people,  mean  while,  are  exhorted  to  re- 
member, in  their  prayers,  the  pious  prince  who,  though 
ruling  in  a  land  of  heretics,  bears  thus  in  remembrance 
the  servants  of  the  most  High.  The  Priests  have  in  their 
hands  some  of  the  best  lands  in  the  countiy,  and  claim, 
of  course,  some  fruit-offerings  from  their  spiritual  children. 
Conceiving  the  security  of  the  tenure  to  lie  in  the  igno- 
rance of  the  people,  they  enforce  every  prohibition  calcu- 
lated to  preserve  it  entire ;  such  as  marrying  with  here 
tics,  reading  any  book  without  the  permission  of  the  con- 
fessor, and  learning  the  English  language.  The  proxi- 
mity of  the  States  and  their  growing  power,  and,  worse  than 
all,  their  institutions  civil  and  religious,  are  natural!} 
'  looked  upon  by  these  shepherds  of  the  flock  with  suspi 
cion  and  terror.  As  the  union  of  Canada  to  the  repub- 


CANADA.  203 

lie  would  of  necessity  pave  the  way  to  their  downfaU? 
interest  binds  fast  their  loyalty  to  the  ruling  powers  ;  thesa 
again,  equally  jealous  of  the  states,  and  aware  of  the  pre- 
cariousness  of  the  tenure  by  which  they  hold  these  colo- 
nies, pay  much  deference  to  the  men  who  hold  the  keys 
of  the  people's  minds.  Thus  goes  the  world  !  and  yet 
with  the  Canadian  peasant  it  would  seem  to  go  very  hap- 
pily :  he  eats  his  crust,  or  shares  it  with  the  passenger 
right  cheerily ;  his  loyalty,  transferred  from  king  Louis 
to- king  George,  sits  equally  light  on  his  light  spirits.  As 
to  the  government,  if  he  shares  it  not,  as  little  does  he  feel 
it.  Too  poor  to  be  oppressed,  too  ignorant  to  be  discon- 
tented, he  invokes  his  saint,  obeys  his  priest,  smokes  his 
pipe,  and  sings  an  old  ballad  ;  while  shrewder  heads  and 
duller  spirits  enact  laws  which  he  never  hears  of,  and  toil 
after  gains  which  he  contrives  to  do  without. 

There  is  said  generally  to  be  no  very  friendly  under- 
standing between  the  old  French  and  the  new  English 
population  ;  the  latter  being  given  to  laugh  at  the  super- 
stition of  the  former,  and  resenting  the  supremacy  of 
Catholic  over  Lutheran  episcopacy.  The  government, 
however,  leaves  "  protestant  ascendency"  to  make  its 
way  here  as  it  can,  which,  unbacked  by  law,  makes  its 
way  very  slowly.  These  national  and  religious  jealousies 
have  occasionally  produced  bickerings,  and  even  political 
disturbances. 

Before  the  breaking  out  of  the  late  war,  an  attack  was 
made  in  an  English  Quebec  journal  upon  the  political 
and  religious  tenets,  habits,  and  manners  of  the  Canadian 
population,  which  provoked  hostility,  not  merely  in  a 
French  opposition  paper,  under  the  name  of  Le  Canadien, 
but  a  party  under  the  name  of  Democrat:  this  last  name 
was  probably  bestowed  without  being  merited,  as  it  has  of- 
ten been  elsewhere.  The  parties,  however,  warmed  in  the 
dispute,  until  the  Governor  and  House  of  Assembly  made 
war  on  each  other,  as  well  as  on  the  newspaper  editors  : 


204  CANADA. 

vexatious  measures  were  had  recourse  to  ;  the  opposition 
press  was  forcibly  put  down,  arbitrary  acts  passed,  and 
imprisonments,  without  reason  assigned,  or  trial  follow- 
ing, inflicted  by  the  executive  on  the  more  contumacious 
members  of  the  Assembly,  and  others  of  the  disaffected. 
The  wealthier  and  more  educated  Canadians,  who  con- 
ducted this  opposition,  were  guided,  apparently,  by  poli- 
tical views  and  patriotic  motives ;  but  it  never  appeared 
that  they  were  otherwise  hostile  to  the  English  interest 
than  as  they  conceived  it  to  be  unjustly  opposed  to  that  of 
their  own  people.  This  ferment  was  at  its  height  under 
the  administration  of  Sir  James  Craig,  between  the  years 
1808  and  1811.  Upon  the  arrival  of  Sir  George  Prevost, 
a  bill  extraordinary  For  the  better  preservation  of  his  Ma- 
jesty^s  Government  being  defeated  by  the  obstinate  resist  - 
ance  of  the  House  of  Assembly,  a  milder  course  of  ad- 
ministration was  adopted.  The  public  mind  being  thus 
somewhat  soothed,  upon  the  opening  of  hostilities,  in  the 
year  following,  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Bri- 
tain, no  unwillingness  appeared  on  the  part  of  the  legisla- 
ture to  meet  the  wishes  of  the  executive  ;  and  as  for  the 
peasantry,  the  nation  represented  by  their  spiritual  fa- 
thers as  the  enemies  of  God,  were  the  enemies  of  the 
Canadians.  Perhaps  the  Governor  was  more  cautious 
of  putting  to  the  proof  the  fidelity  of  the  colonists  than 
was  necessary.  The  peasants  had  never  understood  the 
quarrel  of  their  representatives  ;  and  the  latter,  even  sup- 
posing their  views  to  have  gone  farther  than  appeared, 
were  too  conscious  of  their  weakness  to  venture  upon  a 
disclosure  of  them.  The  war  evidently  soon  became  na- 
tional, and  the  militia  would  willingly  have  done  more 
than  was  demanded.  Antipathy  towards  the  heretical 
Americans  was  as  powerful  an  incentive  to  loyalty  as 
could  have  been  a  love  to  the  British :  this  last  it  will  ne- 
ver be  easy  to  excite.  Independent  of  national  and  reli- 


CANADA.  205 

gious  prejudices,  the  presence  of  a  haughty  soldiery  is  not 
calculated  to  lull  jealousies  to  sleep. 

As  respects  the  ignorance  of  the  Canadians,  with  the 
peasantry  it  is  probably  with  justice  called  absolute ;  but 
that  the  House  of  Assembly  should,  as  is  generally  asserted 
by  the  Anti-Canadian  English,  be  composed  of  men  who 
know  neither  to  read  nor  write,  can  hardly  be  received 
as  a  fair  statement.  Some  such  instances  may  occur ;  but 
a  body  of  men  who  have  frequently  made  a  stand  for  im- 
portant rights,  and  in  the  persons  of  some  of  its  members, 
endured  arbitrary  imprisonments,  for  conscientious  and 
constitutional  opposition  to  the  dictum  of  the  Governor, 
and  Legislative  Council,  —  that  such  men  should  invaria- 
bly be  a  crowd  of  illiterate  peasants,  is  not  easy  of  belief. 

The  government  of  the  Canadas  consists  of  a  Governor 
appointed  by  the  crown ;  a  Legislative  Council,  composed 
in  Upper  Canada  of  seven  members,  and  in  the  Lower 
or  French  Canada  of  fifteen  ;  these  are  appointed  by  the 
Governor,  and  nominated  for  life  :  a  Lower  House  of  As- 
sembly whose  members  are  chosen  by  the  Freeholders  in 
either  province,  the  elections  occurring  every  four  years. 
In  Lower  Canada  the  French  forming  the  majority  of  the 
population,  are  able  to  combat,  in  the  House  of  Assem- 
bly, the  power  of  the  English  Executive  and  Legislative 
Council,  which  virtually  forms  a  part  of  the  former.  It  is 
easy  to  see  with  what  candour  this  House  will  be  judged 
of  by  the  party  it  opposes.  It  is  doubtful  whether  it  would 
be  more  praised  were  it  more  enlightened. 

You  will  ask,  perhaps,  whether  some  pains  is  not  taken 
to  amalgamate  the  old  with  the  new  population,  or  to 
break  down  the  strongest  national  distinction  by  the 
establishment  of  English  schools.  I  have  stated  that  the 
priests  are  no  ways  desirous  of  enlightening  their  commu- 
nicants. To  resist  the  authority  of  these  spiritual  pastors 
were  not  very  politic  on  the  part  of  the  temporal  powers, 
and  perhaps  it  is  considered  as  equally  the  interest  of  both 


206  CANADA. 

to  leave  the  Canadian  to  sing  his  song,  and  tell  his  Ave 
Mary  in  the  language  of  his  fathers.  It  is  eurious  to  com- 
pare the  stationary  position  of  the  French  Canada  with 
the  progress  of  the  French  Louisiana.  "Not  sixteen  years 
since  this  vast  territory  was  ceded  to  the  United  States, 
and  already  its  people  are  nationalized.  Not  held  as  a 
military  possession,  but  taken  into  the  confederate  repub- 
lics as  an  independent  state,  it  feels  its  existence,  and  has 
learned  to  prize  the  importance  that  it  enjoys.  A  popu- 
lation as  simple  and  ignorant  as  that  of  French  Canada, 
has  been  transformed,  in  the  course  of  one  generation,  into 
a  people  comparatively  enlightened.  Superstition  is  fast 
losing  its  hold  on  their  minds ;  the  rising  youth  are  edu- 
cated in  viHage  schools  established  throughout  the  country, 
even  in  the  least  populous  districts ;  distinctions  of  man- 
ners, feelings,  and  language  between  the  old  and  new- 
population,  are  gradually  disappearing ;  and  in  the  course 
of  a  few  generations  they  will  be  mingled  into  one.  In- 
stead of  expensive  colonies,  the  acquisitions  of  America 
are  thus  turned  into  wealthy  states,  additions  to  her  power 
and  her  riches.  She  quarters  no  soldiers  to  awe  them  into 
obedience,  but  imparts  to  them  the  right  of  self-government, 
and  admits  them  to  her  alliance.  How  strangely  con- 
trasted to  this  is  the  position  of  these  provinces ;  expensive 
appendages  to  a  distant  empire ;  military  depots,  in  short, 
into  which  England  throws  her  armed  legions,  to  awe  the 
peaceful  population  of  the  neighbouring  republic. 

Is  there  not  some  erroneous  calculation  here  ?  By  op- 
posing an  armed  frontier  to  America,  is  she  not  con- 
strained to  nourish  more  or  less  of  a  military  spirit  ? 
Remove  it,  and  were  she  not  deprived  of  all  incentives 
to  martial  ardour  ?  Would  not  her  institutions,  essentially 
peaceful,  then  operate  more  perfectly  than  at  present, 
to  prevent  the  exertion  of  her  strength  to  the  injury  of 
other  nations  ?  Leave  her  alone,  and  she  might  go  to 
sleep ;  as  it  is,  she  is  forced  to  keep  her  eyes  open,  and 


CANADA.  207 

though  her  sword  be  sheathed,  to  wear  it  always  at  her 
side.  Some  say  she  is  ambitious  of  conquest ;  and  that 
her  invasion  of  Canada,  both  during  the  revolutionary  and 
the  late  war,  proves  it.  She  was  certainly  ambitious  of 
dislodging  an  armed  enemy,  and  of  turning  hostile  fortifi- 
cations into  inoffensive  villages.  Had  she  obtained  pos- 
session of  the  Canadas,  —  what  then  ?  She  would  have 
said  to  them  as  she  said  to  Louisiana,  —  Govern  your- 
selves. Her  own  fortifications  had  then  been  removed, 
instead  of  being  strengthened  as  they  now  are,  to  keep 
pace  with  those  of  her  neighbours.  For  her,  it  may  pro- 
bably be  as  well  that  she  has  an  enemy  skirmishing  at  her 
doors.  Peaceful  as  she  is,  it  serves  to  keep  alive  her  spirit, 
which  might  otherwise  relax  too  much.  It  makes  her 
weigh  her  strength  and  feel  it :  this  may  be  useful,  seeing 
that  her  institutions,  and  the  policy  necessarily  resulting 
from  them,  prevent  her  exerting  it  without  provocation. 
But  this  effect,  it  may  be  presumed,  is  not  that  intend- 
ed by  her  enemies.  They  surely  do  not  expend  their 
treasures  with  an  eye  to  her  advantage.  If  their  object 
were  to  increase  her  energy,  and  keep  alive  her  national 
feeling,  could  they  take  surer  means  than  by  pointing  can- 
non at  her  gates.  "  Delenda  est  Carthago"  should  not  be 
the  motto  of  the  Republic.  The  rivalship  of  hers  with 
European  power,  on  this  Siberian  frontier,  is  a  wholesome 
and  spiritualizing  stimulus,  corrective  of  the  soporific  other- 
wise administered  by  her  security  and  prosperity.  To 
interrupt  these  were  now  probably  impossible,  though  the 
whole  of  Europe  should  league  against  them ;  but  it  is  as 
well  perhaps,  that  America  should  not  feel  this,  for,  were 
she  to  feel  it,  might  not  her  security  and  prosperity  be 
then  once  more  endangered  ? 

I  fear  that  I  have  written  a  dull  letter ;  but  perhaps  I 
do  this  always.  Should  you,  however,  find  me  yet  more 
dull  than  usual,  consider  the  hard  travelling  that  I  have 
undergone,  and  the  drowsiness  of  convalescence,  which 


208  CANADA. 

still  hangs  about  me ;  consider  this,  and  be  merciful  in 
your  judgment.  A  few  excursions  into  the  surrounding 
country  have  finished  our  Canadian  travels.  The  icy 
winds  of  the  equinox,  and  some  remaining  weakness, 
scolding  me  into  prudence,  we  sacrifice  our  visit  to  Que- 
bec, and  strike  south  for  the  States. 


209 


LETTER  XVI. 


1.  AK.fi  CHAMPLAIN. BATTLE  OF  PLATTSBURGH, BURNING 

OF  THE  PHENIX  STEAMBOAT, 

Pittsburgh,  Lake  Champliiin,  Sept.  1819. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

THE  shores  of  this  beautiful  lake  are  classic  ground  to 
the  American,  and  perhaps  to  all  those  who  love  liberty, 
and  triumph  in  the  struggles  for  it.  For  myself,  I  have 
listened  with  much  interest  to  the  various  stories  attached 
to  the  different  villages  and  ruined  forts  that  line  these 
waters; 

The  Americans,  rich  and  poor,  gentlemen  and  mecha- 
nics, have  all  the  particulars  of  their  short,  but  eventful 
history  treasured  in  their  minds,  with  an  accuracy  which, 
at  first,  cannot  fail  to  surprise  a  foreigner.  A  citizen, 
chosen  at  random,  may  generally  serve  you  for  a  Cicerone 
any  where  and  every  where  throughout  these  states ;  nor 
is  he  ever  better  pleased  than  when  satisfying  the  curiosity 
of  a  stranger  upon  the  subject  of  his  country.  He  does 
this,  too,  with  so  much  intelligence  and  good  nature,  and 
knows  so  well  to  discriminate  between  what  is  interesting, 
and  what  is  tiresome,  that  you  usually  come  from  the 
conference  more  awake  than  when  you  engaged  in  it. 

The  little  town  and  pleasant  bay  of  Plattsburgh  is  point- 
ed out  with  peculiar  satisfaction  to  those  who  show  a 
willingness  to  sympathize  in  the  brave  defence  of  an  in- 
vaded people,  fighting  for  all  that  life  has  of  best  and 

29 


210  BATTLE  OF  PLATTSBURGH. 

dearest  —  honour  and  liberty,  property,  and  the  domestic 
hearth. 

At  the  commencement  of  hostilities,  in  the  year  1812. 
the  American  policy  had  been  to  seek  the  enemy  in  lii^ 
own  garrisons.  It  was  believed  that  the  Cariadas  would 
have  been  willing  to  raise  the  flag  of  independence,  and 
join  the  federal  Union,  and  rashly  judged,  that  raw  militia 
or  volunteer  troops  might  be  sufficient  to  drive  veteran  regu- 
lars from  their  posts.  The  attempt  was  daring,  and,  if  suc- 
cessful, would  doubtless  have  best  secured  the  country  from 
invasion ;  and,  by  cutting  off  the  enemy  from  communica- 
tion with  the  Indians,  have  screened  the  scattered  settle- 
ments on  the  western  frontier  from  the  cruel  war  with 
which  they  were  threatened.  That  success,  however, 
should  have  been  calculated  upon,  proves  only  that  igno- 
rance is  always  rash  ;  and  most  profoundly  ignorant  of  the 
science  of  war  must  the  republic  have  been,  after  thirty 
years  of  profound  peace,  without  owning  either  an  army 
or  a  navy,  or  knowing  more  of  military  discipline  than 
could  be  found  in  the  organization  and  harmless  exercise 
of  a  peaceful  militia.  The  unsuccessful  campaign  in  the 
Canadas,  was  not  altogether  unproductive  of  advantage 
to  the  republic.  It  served  to  make  apparent  her  weak- 
ness, while  the  subsequent  campaigns  equally  made  ap- 
parent her  strength.  In  offensive  land-operations  she  first 
saw  her  citizens  repulsed  ;  when  facing,  on  their  own  soil, 
the  best-trained  soldiers  in  the  world,  she  afterwards  saw 
them  successful.  There  is  a  useful  lesson  here  to  her  and 
to  all  other  nations. 

The  stand  made  at  Plattsburgh  was  as  spirited  as  it  was 
important.  An  army  of  veterans,  from  the  school  of  the 
Duke  of  Wellington,  having  entered  the  St.  Lawrence, 
was  suddenly  marched  by  Sir  George  Prevost  into  the 
state  of  New- York.  Had  this  army  succeeded  in  obtain- 
ing command  of  Lake  Champlain,  and  the  line  of  forts 
running  southward,  a  simultaneous  attack  was  to  be 


BATTLE  OF  PLATTSBURGH.  2  I  I 

made  from  the  sea  on  the  city  of  New-York,  when,  the 
command  of  the  Hudson  being  secured,  the  eastern  states 
would  have  been  cut  off  from  the  rest  of  the  Union.  You 
will  perceive  the  plan  to  be  the  same  as  that  traced  for 
General  Burgoyne ;  but,  perhaps,  then  with  more  chance 
of  success  than  in  the  present  instance :  much,  however, 
seemed  to  favour  the  undertaking.  In  the  first  place,  an 
attack  from  this  quarter  was  at  the  time  unexpected :  for 
many  miles  beyond  the  frontier,  the  population  was  thin- 
ly scattered  through  forests  and  hills  ;  the  army  was  busi- 
ly engaged  in  remote  parts  of  the  Union  ;  and  an  attack 
upon  the  city  of  New- York  being  apprehended,  the  mili- 
tia of  the  state  had  been  chiefly  drawn  towards  the  coast. 
Fifteen  hundred  regulars,  principally  composed  of  raw 
recruits  and  invalids,  was  the  only  force  in  readiness, 
when  the  British  troops  took  possession  of  the  little  town 
of  Champlain  within  the  American  frontier. 

The  scattered  militia  of  the  vicinity  was  instantly  sum- 
moned, and  all  hands  set  to  work  to  throw  up  fortifica- 
tions, and  to  prepare  a  fleet  to  engage  that  of  the  enemy. 
The  exertions  made  during  these  anxious  days  are  al- 
most incredible :  night  and  day  the  axe  and  the  hammer 
were  at  work. 

Let  me  remark  here  the  peculiar  fitness  of  the  Ameri- 
can population  for  such  exertions.  Every  man,  or  nearly 
every  man,  in  these  states,  knows  to  handle  the  axe, 
the  hammer,  the  plane,  all  the  mechanic's  tools,  in  short ; 
besides  the  musket,  to  the  use  of  which  he  is  not  only  re- 
gularly trained  as  a  man,  but  practised  as  a  boy. 

The  enemy  soon  advanced  up  the  shores  of  the  lake  to 
the  river  Saranac,  at  the  mouth  of  which  stands  the  vil- 
lage of  Plattsburgh,  backed  and  flanked  by  the  forest, 
whose  dark  interminable  line  it  sweetly  breaks  with  its 
neat  and  cheerful  dwellings,  overlooking  the  silver  bosom 
of  a  circular  bay,  which  receives  the  waters  of  the  river. 
Continual  skirmishes  now  took  place  between  the  enemy 


212  BATTLE  OF  PLATTSBURGH. 

and  flying  parties  of  militia,  seven  hundred  ot'  winch  soon 
collected  from  the  surrounding  forests.  The  state  of  Ver- 
mont, which  lines  the  opposite  shores  of  the  lake,  then 
poured  forth  her  mountaineers.  Scattered  through  a 
mountainous  country,  it  might  have  been  thought  difficult 
to  collect  the  scanty  population  ;  but  the  cry  of  invasion 
echoed  from  hill  to  hill,  from  village  to  village  ;  some 
caught  their  horses  from  the  plough,  others  ran  off  on  foot, 
leaving  their  herds  in  the  pastures,  and  scarce  exchanging 
a  parting  blessing  with  their  wives  and  mothers  as  they 
handed  io  them  their  muskets. 

"  From  the  grey  sire,  whose  trembling  hand 
Could  hardly  buckle  on  his  brand, 
To  the  raw  boy,  whose  shaft  and  bow 
Were  yet  scarce  terror  to  the  crow, 
Each  valley,  each  sequester 'd  glen, 
Muster'd  his  little  horde  of  men, 
That  mei,  as  torrents  from  the  height, 
Ift  highland  dale  their  streams  unite ; 
Still  gathering  as  they  pour  along, 
A.  voice  more  loud,  a  tide  more  strong. 

Their  guns  on  their  shoulders,  a  powder-flask  at  their 
sides,  sometimes  a  ration  in  their  pockets,  crowd  after 
crowd  poured  into  Burlington,  and  all,  as  a  friend  who  had 
witnessed  the  scene,  described  it  to  me,  "  came  at  a  run, 
whether  OK  their  own  legs  or  their  horses." 

The  beautiful  little  town  of  Burlington  covers  the  breast 
of  a  hill  on  the  opposite  shore,  and  somewhat  higher  up 
the  lake  than  Plattsburgh.  Here  every  boat  and  canoe 
was  in  requisition ;  troop  after  troop  hurried  to  the  shore, 
and  as  the  scattered  crowds  poured  into  Plattsburgh,  they 
collected  in  lines  on  the  Saranac  to  resist  the  passage  of 
the  enemy,  or  struck  into  the  woods,  with  orders  to  harass 
their  rear. 

The  fleet  was  now  equipped ;  and,  when  that  of  the 
enemy  appeared  in  sight,  moored  in  line  across  the  en- 
trance of  the  bay.  With  such  breathless  alacrity  had  the 


BATTLE  OF  PLATTSBURGH.  213 

Americans  prepared  to  meet  this  encounter,  that  one  of 
the  vessels  which  then  entered  into  action,  had  been  built 
and  equipped  in  the  space  of  a  fortnight ;  eighteen  days 
previous  to  the  engagement,  the  timber  of  which  it  was 
constructed,  had  been  actually  growing  in  the  forest  upon 
the  shores  of  the  lake. 

The  British  flotilla,  under  the  command  of  Captain 
Downie,  mounted  ninety-five  guns,  and  upwards  of  a 
thousand  men ;  the  American,  under  Commodore  M'Do- 
nough,  eighty-six  guns,  and  nearly  eight  hundred  men. 
The  first  exchange  of  cannon  between  the  fleets  was  the 
signal  of  the  armies  on  land.  A  desperate  contest  ensued. 
The  British,  with  daring  bravery,  twice  attempted  to 
force  the  bridges,  and  twice  were  driven  back ;  then,  filing 
up  the  river,  a  detachment  attempted  to  ford ;  but  here  a 
volley  of  musketry  suddenly  assailed  them  from  the  woods, 
and  forced  them  to  retreat,  with  loss. 

The  issue  of  the  day  was  felt  by  both  parties  to  depend 
upon  the  naval  engagement  then  raging  in  the  sight  of 
both  armies.  Many  an  anxious  glance  was  cast  upon 
the  waters  by  those  stationed  near  the  shore.  For  two 
hours  the  conflict  remained  doubtful ;  the  vessels  on 
either  side  were  stript  of  their  sails  and  rigging;  stag- 
gering and  reeling  hulks,  they  still  gave  and  received  the 
shocks  which  threatened  to  submerge  them.  The  vessel 
of  the  American  Commodore  was  twice  on  fire  ;  her  can- 
non dismounted,  and  her  sides  leaking ;  the  enemy  was 
in  the  same  condition.  The  battle  for  a  moment  seemed 
a  drawn  one,  when  both  attempted  a  manoeuvre  which  was 
to  decide  the  day.  With  infinite  difficulty,  the  American 
ship  veered  about ;  the  enemy  attempted  the  same  in 
vain ;  a  fresh  fire  poured  upon  her,  and  she  struck.  A 
shout  then  awoke  upon  the  shore  ;  and  ringing  along  the 
American  lines,  swelled  for  a  moment  above  the  roar  of 
the  battle.  For  a  short  space  the  British  efforts  relaxed ; 
but  then,  as  if  nerved  rather  than  dismayed  by  misfortune, 


"214  BATTLE  OF  PLATTSBURGH. 

the  experienced  veterans  stood  their  ground,  and  continued 
the  fight  until  darkness  constrained  its  suspension. 

The  little  town  of  Burlington,  during  these  busy  hours, 
displayed  a  far  different,  but  not  less  interesting  scene  ; 
all  occupation  was  interrupted  ;  the  anxious  inhabitants, 
lining  the  heights,  and  straining  their  eyes  and  ears  to 
catch  some  signal  that  might  speak  the  fate  of  a  combat 
upon  which  so  much  depended.  The  distant  firing  and 
smoke  told  when  the  fleets  were  engaged.  The  minutes 
and  the  hours  dragged  on  heavily  ;  hopes  and  fears  alter- 
nately prevailing  ;  when,  at  length,  the  cannonading  sud- 
denly ceased  ;  but  still,  with  the  help  of  the  telescope,  no- 
thing could  be  distinguished  across  the  vast  waters,  save 
that  the  last  wreath  of  smoke  had  died  away,  and  that 
life,  honour,  and  property,  were  lost  or  saved. 

Not  a  sound  was  heard,  the  citizens  looked  at  each 
other  without  speaking ;  women  and  children  wandered 
along  the  beach,  with  many  of  the  men  of  Veimont,  who 
had  continued  to  drop  in  during  the  day,  but  found  no 
means  of  crossing  the  lake.  Every  boat  was  on  the  other 
shore,  and  all  were  still  too  busy  there  to  ferry  over  tidings 
of  the  naval  combat.  The  evening  fell,  and  still  no  mo- 
ving speck  appeared  upon  the  waters.  A  dark  night,  hea- 
vy with  fogs,  closed  in,  and  some  with  saddened  hearts 
slowly  sought  their  homes ;  while  others  still  lingered, 
hearkening  to  every  breath,  pacing  to  and  fro  distractedly, 
and  wildly  imagining  all  the  probable  and  possible  causes 
which  might  occasion  this  suspense.  Were  they  defeat- 
ed—  some  would  have  taken  to  the  boats;  were  they 
successful  —  some  would  have  burned  to  bring  the  tidings. 
—  At  eleven  at  night,  a  shout  broke  in  the  darkness  from 
the  waters.  It  was  one  of  triumph.  —  Was  it  from  friends 
or  enemies?  Again  it  broke  louder;  it  was  recognized 
and  re-echoed  by  the  listeners  on  the  beach,  swelled  up 
the  hill,  and  "  Victory  !  victory  !"  rang  through  the  vil- 
lage. I  could  not  describe  the  scene  as  it  was  described 


BATTLE  OF  PLATTSBURGH.  t!lj 

fo  me ;  but  you  will  suppose  how  the  blood  eddied  from 
the  heart ;  how  young  and  old  ran  about  frantic  ;  how 
they  laughed,  wept,  and  sang,  and  wept  again.  —  In  half 
an  hour,  the  little  town  was  in  a  blaze  of  light. 

The  brunt  of  the  battle  was  now  over  ;  but  it  still  re- 
"  tainecl  doubtful,  whether  the  invaders  would  attempt  to 
push  forward,  in  despite  of  the  loss  of  their  fleet,  and  of 
the  opposing  ranks  of  militia,  now  doubly  inspirited  by 
patriotism  and  good  fortune.  At  daybreak  the  next 
morning,  were  found  only  the  sick,  the  wounded,  and  the 
dead,  with  the  military  stores  and  munitions  of  war.  The 
siege  had  been  raised  during  the  night ;  and  the  baggage 
and  artillery  having  been  sent  back,  the  army  were  alrea- 
dy some  miles  on  their  way  towards  the  frontier.  The 
skirmishing  that  harassed  their  retreat,  thinned  their  num- 
bers less  than  the  sudden  desertion  of  five  hundred  men, 
who  threw  down  their  muskets,  and  sprang  into  the 
woods.  A  few  of  these  sons  of  Mars  are  now  thriving 
farmers  in  the  state  of  Vermont ;  others  fared,  with  more 
or  less  success,  according  to  their  industry  and  morals. 

Sir  George  Prevost  was  much  blamed,  both  in  Canada 
and  at  home,  for  this  precipitate  retreat.  That  he  might 
have  forced  the  American  works  is  admitted  by  the  Ame- 
ricans themselves  ;  indeed,  from  their  hasty  and  imperfect 
construction,  it  is  wonderful  how  they  were  made  to  stand 
the  siege  as  they  did.  But  what  advantage  would  have 
been  gained  by  strewing  the  earth  with  dead  to  break 
down  a  breastwork  of  planks,  to  retire  or  surrender  after- 
wards ?  Without  the  co-operation  of  a  fleet,  with  ex- 
hausted and  dispirited  troops,  to  have  forced  a  passage 
through  woods,  and  over  roads  of  logs,  contending  for  eve- 
ry step  with  thickening  crowds  —  not  of  soldiers,  but  of 
fathers,  husbands,  citizens,  standing  on  their  own  soil,  and 
inspired  with  every  feeling  that  can  raise  men  above  them- 
selves,—  surely  the  commander  judged  wisely  and  hu- 
manely who  preferred  retreat  to  certain  destruction.  "  It 


2 It)  BLK.MNG  OF  THE 

might  have  been  a  day  later,"  was  the  observation  of  an 
American  officer;  "  but  (he  enemy  must  have  retreated, 
or  surrendered,  or  been  cut  to  pieces  by  degrees." 

There  is  in  militia  a  moral  force,  which,  in  moments  of 
great  exigency,  is  more  than  a  match  for  trained  skill  and 
hardy  experience.  Defeat,  which  dispirits  the  best  vete- 
ran regulars  fighting  in  a  foreign  land  for  the  point  of  ho- 
nour, or  the  prospect  of  booty,  invigorates  national  militia 
contending  on  their  own  soil  for  all  that  is  dearest  to  the 
human  heart.  Contrast  for  a  moment  the  exterior  of  the 
hostile  bands  who  here  engaged.  A  line  of  plain  citizens, 
their  dusky  garments  breathing  of  home,  opposed  to  flaring 
uniforms  speaking  only  of  the  trade  of  war ;  —  the  heart 
acknowledges  the  difference  between  such  armies. 

It  is  customary  in  the  more  wealthy  cities,  and  occasion- 
ally even  elsewhere,  for  some  of  the  militia  companies  to 
provide  themselves  with  uniforms  ;  and  though  this  proves 
a  generous  spirit  on  the  part  of  the  citizens,  I  have  never 
looked  upon  these  well-clad  regiments  in  exercise  with 
the  same  interest  with  which  I  invariably  regard  those 
clad  in  the  every-day  garments  of  domestic  life.  You  need 
to  be  told  that  the  other  are  militia ;  nothing  remains  to 
be  said  here.  I  remember  wrell  observing,  for  the  first 
time,  a  troop  of  citizens  going  through  military  exercise  ; 
the  blacksmith  from  his  forge  ;  the  mechanic,  his  coat 
marked  with  saw-dust ;  the  farmer  with  the  soil  yet  upon 
his  hands.  "  What  think  you  of  our  soldiers  ?"  said  a 
friend  smiling.  Think  !  —  I  know  not  what  I  thought ; 
but  I  know,  that  I  secretly  brushed  a  tear  from  my  eye. 

I  feel  tempted  to  pass  another  idle  half  hour  in  detailing 
to  you  a  story  of  a  different  character,  and  which,  though 
it  will  never  be  placed  on  record,  is  not  less  worthy  6£ be- 
ing so  than  the  victory  of  M'Donough. 

One  of  the  finest  steamboats  ever  built  in  the  United 
States  lately  ran  upon  this  inland  sea,  and  was  destroyed, 
ten  days  since,  by  fire,  in  a  manner  truly  terrible.  The 


PHENIX   STEAMBOAT.  217 

captain  of  the  vessel  had  fallen  sick,  and  entrusted  its  ma- 
nagement to  his  son,  a  young  man  just  turned  of  one-and- 
twenty.  Making  for  St.  John's  with  upwards  of  forty 
passengers,  they  encountered  the  equinoctial  gale  which 
blew  with  violence  right  ahead.  The  fine  vessel,  how- 
ever, encountered  it  bravely,  and  dashed  onwards  through 
the  storm,  until  an  hour  after  midnight,  she  had  gained  the 
broadest  part  of  the  lake.  Some  careless  mortal,  who  had 
been  to  seek  his  supper  in  the  pantiy,  left  a  candle  burn- 
ing on  a  shelf,  which,  after  some  time,  caught  another 
which  was  ranged  above. 

The  passengers  were  asleep,  or  at  least  quiet  in  their 
births,  when  a  man  at  the  engine  perceived,  in  some  dark 
recess  of  the  vessel,  an  unusual  light.  Approaching  the 
spot,  he  heard  the  crackling  of  fire,  and  found  the  door  of 
the  pantry  a  glowing  and  tremulous  wall  of  embers.  He 
had  scarcely  time  to  turn  himself,  ere  he  was  enveloped  in 
flames ;  rushing  past  them,  he  attempted  to  burst  into  the 
ladies'  apartment  by  a  small  door  which  opened  into  the 
interior  of  the  vessel :  it  was  locked  on  the  inside,  and  the 
noise  of  the  storm  seemed  to  drown  all  his  cries  and  blows. 
Hurrying  upon  the  deck,  he  gave  the  alarm  to  the  cap- 
tain, and  flew  to  the  women's  cabin.  Ere  he  leaped  down 
the  stairs,  the  flames  had  burst  through  the  inner  door,  and 
had  already  seized  upon  the  curtains  of  the  bed  next  to  it. 
You  may  conceive  the  scene  which  followed. 

In  the  mean  time  the  young  captain  roused  his  crew 
and  his  male  passengers,  warning  the  pilot  to  make  for  the 
nearest  island.  Summoning  his  men  around  him,  and 
stating  to  them  that  all  the  lives  on  board  could  not  be 
saved  in  the  boats,  he  asked  their  consent  to  save  the  pas- 
sengers, and  to  take  death  with  him.  All  acquiesced 
unanimously ;  and  hastened  to  let  dow-  the  boats.  While 
thus  engaged,  the  flames  burst  through  the  decks,  and 
shrouded  the  pilot,  the  mast,  and  the  chimney,  in  a  co- 
lumn of  flames.  The  helmsman,  however,  held  to  thf1 

30 


218  BURNING  OF  THL 

wheel,  until  his  limbs  were  scorched  and  his  clothes  hall 
consumed  upon  his  back.  The  unusual  heat  round  the 
boiler  gave  a  redoubled  impetus  to  the  engine.  The  ves- 
sel dashed  madly  through  the  waters,  until  she  was  within 
a  few  roods  of  land.  The  boats  were  down,  and  the 
captain  and  his  men  held  the  shrieking  women  and  chil- 
dren in  their  arms,  when  the  helm  gave  way,  and  the  ves- 
sel, turning  from  the  wind,  flew  backwards,  whirling 
round  and  round  from  the  shore.  None  could  approach 
to  stop  the  engine ;  its  fury,  however,  soon  spent  itself, 
and  left  the  flaming  wreck  to  the  mercy  only  of  the  winds 
and  waves.  With  dreadful  struggles,  the  naked  passen- 
gers got  into  the  boats,  and  received  the  women  and 
children  from  the  hands  of  the  captain  and  the  crew,  who. 
while  the  flames  whirled  over  their  heads,  refused  the 
solicitations  to  enter  the  overburdened  barks,  and  pushed 
them  off  from  the  fire  which  had  nearly  caught  their  sides. 
It  was  now  discovered  that  one  woman  and  a  youth  of 
sixteen  had  been  forgotten.  Hurrying  them  to  the  wind- 
ward of  the  flames,  the  youth  was  bound  to  a  plank,  and 
a  skilful  swimmer  of  the  crew  leapt  with  him  into  the 
lake.  The  captain,  holding  the  frantic  woman  in  his 
arms,  stood  upon  the  edge  of  the  scorching  and  crackling 
wreck,  until  he  saw  the  last  of  his  companions  provided 
with  a  spar,  and  committed  to  the  waters  ;  then,  throw- 
ing from  him  with  one  arm  a  table  which  he  had  before 
secured  for  the  purpose,  and  with  the  other  grasping  his 
charge,  he  sprang  into  the  waves.  The  poor  woman, 
mad  with  terror,  seized  his  throat  as  he  placed  and  held 
her  upon  the  table  ;  forced  to  disengage  himself,  she  was 
borne  away  by  the  waves ;  he  tried  to  follow,  and  saw 
her  for  the  last  time,  clinging  to  a  burning  mass  of  the 
vessel.  One  last  shriek,  and  the  poor  creature  was 
whelmed  in  flood  and  fire.  Swimming  round  the  blazing 
hulk,  and  calling  aloud  to  such  of  his  companions  as  might 
be  within  hearing,  to  keep  near  it,  he  watched  for  the  fall- 


PHENIX  STEAMBOAT.  219 

ing  of  a  spar.  He  seized  one  while  yet  on  fire,  and, 
quenching  it,  continued  to  float  round  the  wreck,  deem- 
ing that  the  light  might  be  a  signal,  should  the  boats  be 
able  to  return ;  but  these  had  to  row,  heavily  laden,  six 
miles  through  a  mountainous  sea.  It  was  long  before 
they  could  make  the  land,  and  that,  leaving  their  helpless 
freight  naked  on  the  shore  of  a  desert  island,  in  the  dark 
and  tempestuous  night,  they  turned  to  seek  the  drowning 
heroes. 

The  day  broke  while  they  were  labouring  against  the 
roaring  elements,  seeking  in  vain  the  extinguished  beacon 
that  was  to  guide  their  search;  at  length  a  blackened 
atom  appeared  upon  the  top  of  a  wave ;  stretched  upon 
it  was  a  human  figure.  It  was,  I  rejoice  to  say,  the  young 
captain  —  senseless,  but  the  generous  soul  not  quite  de- 
parted. He  is  alive  and  doing  well.  One  other  of  these 
devoted  men  was  picked  up  late  in  the  morning,  and  won- 
drously  restored  to  life,  after  having  been  eight  hours 
swimming  and  floating  on  the  water.  Seven  perished. 

The  citizens  of  Burlington  hastened  with  clothing  and 
provisions  to  the  sufferers  on  the  island ;  took  them  to  their 
homes ;  and  nursed  them  with  affectionate  solicitude. 

The  blackened  wreck  of  the  Phenix  is  now  lying,  in  the 
midst  of  the  lake,  upon  a  reef  of  rocks,  to  which  it  was 
drifted  by  the  storm. 


220 


LETTER  XVII. 

TOWN  OF  BUItLINGTON.  —  CHARACTER  AND  HISTORY  OF  THE 
STATE  OF  VERMONT. 

Burlington,  State  of  Vermont. 
October,  1819. 

MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

ASCENDING  the  waters  of  Lake  Champlain,  the  shores 
assume  a  wilder  and  more  mountainous  character.  The 
site  of  the  flourishing  town  of  Burlington  is  one  of  singu- 
lar beauty ;  the  neatness  and  elegance  of  the  white  houses 
ascending  rapidly  from  the  shore,  interspersed  with  trees, 
and  arranged  with  that  symmetry  which  characterizes  the 
young  villages  of  these  states,  the  sweet  bay.  and,  beyond, 
the  open  waters  of  the  lake,  bounded  by  a  range  of  moun- 
tains, behind  which,  when  our  eyes  first  rested  on  them, 
the  sun  was  sinking  in  golden  splendour ;  —  it  was  a  fairy 
scene,  when  his  flaming  disk,  which  might  have  dazzled 
eagles,  dropt  behind  the  purple  screen,  blazing  on  the  still 
broad  lake,  on  the  windows  and  the  white  walls  of  the 
lovely  village,  and  on  the  silver  sails  of  the  sloops  and 
shipping,  gliding  noiselessly  through  the  gleaming  waters. 
Not  forty  years  since,  and  the  ground  now  occupied  by 
this  beautiful  town  and  a  population  of  two  thousand 
souls,  was  a  desert,  frequented  only  by  bears  and  pan- 
thers. The  American  verb  to  progress  (though  some  of 
my  friends  in  this  country  deny  that  it  is  an  Americanism) 
is  certainly  not  without  its  apology ;  even  a  foreigner 
must  acknowledge,  that  the  new  kind  of  advancement 


TOWN  OF  BURLINGTON. 

which  greets  his  eye  in  this  country,  seems  to  demand  a 
new  word  to  portray  it. 

The  young  town  of  Burlington,  is  graced  with  a  col- 
lege, which  was  founded  in  the  year  1791,  and  has  lately 
received  considerable  additions.  The  state  of  Vermont, 
in  which  it  stands,  whose  population  may  be  somewhat 
less  than  300,000,  contrives  to  support  two  establishments 
of  this  description  ;  and,  perhaps,  in  no  part  of  the  Union  is 
greater  attention  paid  to  the  education  of  youth. 

The  territory  passing  under  the  name  of  Vermont  is  in- 
tersected, from  north  to  south,  by  a  range  of  mountains, 
covered  with  ever-green  forests,  from  which  the  name  of 
the  country.  This  Alpine  ridge,  rising  occasionally  to 
three  and  four  thousand  feet,  nearly  fills  up  the  breadth 
of  the  state ;  but  is  every  where  scooped  into  glens  and 
valleys,  plentifully  intersected  with  streams  and  rivers, 
flowing,  to  the  eastward,  into  the  beautiful  Connecticut, 
and,  to  the  west,  into  the  magnificent  Champlain.  The 
gigantic  forests  of  white  pine,  spruce,  cedar,  and  other 
evergreens,  which  clothe  to  the  top  the  billowy  sides  of 
the  mountains,  mingle  occasionally  their  deep  verdure 
with  the  oak,  elm,  beech,  maple,  &c.  that  shadow  the  val- 
leys. This  world  of  forest  is  intersected  by  tracts  of  open 
pasture,  while  the  luxuriant  lands  that  border  the  water 
courses  are  fast  exchanging  their  primeval  woods  for  the 
treasures  of  agriculture.  The  most  populous  town  in  the 
state  contains  less  than  three  thousand  souls  ;  the  inhabit- 
ants, agricultural  or  grazing  farmers,  being  scattered 
through  the  valleys  and  hills,  or  collected  in  small  villages 
on  the  banks  of  the  lakes  and  rivers. 

In  scrupulous  regard  to  the  education  of  her  citizens,  in 
the  thorough  democracy  of  her  institutions,  in  her  simple 
morals  and  hardy  industry,  Vermont  is  a  characteristic 
daughter  of  New-England.  She  stands  conspicuous, 
however,  among  her  sister  states  for  her  patriotic  spirit ; 
her  services  have  alwavs  been  rendered  to  the  nation  un- 


'222  .Vi'ATE  OF  A  EKMONT. 

sparingly,  nor  could  she  ever  be  charged  with  separating 
her  interests  from  those  of  the  confederacy  • 

During  the  revolutionary  struggle,  her  scanty  popula- 
lation,  thinly  scattered  along  the  borders  of  rivers  and 
streams,  in  mountains  and  forests,  were  signally  generous 
and  disinterested.  The  short  history  of  this  spirited  re- 
public is  not  without  a  peculiar  interest,  and  is  very  highly 
honourable  to  the  character  of  her  people. 

During  her  colonial  existence,  she  was  engaged  in  a 
dispute   with   the  neighbouring  provinces,  involving  all 
those  great  principles  which  afterwards  formed  the  basis  of 
the  quarrel  between  the  colonies  and  the  mother  country. 
Under  the  administration  of  Great  Britain,  in  conse- 
quence of  various  contradictory  acts,  passed  at  different 
periods,  and  under  different  reigns,  the  Vermont  lands 
were  claimed  by  the  two  adjoining  provinces  of  New- 
Hampshire  and  New- York.     Most  of  the  early  settlers 
held  their  possessions  under  the  patent  granted  to  the 
former,  when  the  latter  asserted  a  prior  claim,  and  essay- 
ed to  constrain  the  ejection  of  the  proprietors.     The  pro- 
clamation of  the  royal  Governor  of  New- York  was  an- 
swered by  a  proclamation  of  the  royal  Governor  of  New- 
Hampshire;  the  matter  being  referred  to  the  home  au- 
thority, a  verdict  was  pronounced  in  favour  of  New- York 
against  the  wishes  and  claims  of  the  \  ermontese ;  but 
this  imperial  verdict  was  as  little  respected  by  the  hardy 
mountaineers  as  had  been  the  proclamation  of  the  go- 
vernor.    "The  gods  of  the  valleys,"  cried  the  spirited 
Ethan  Allen,  "  are  not  gods  of  the  hills."     An  opposition 
was  instantly  organized,  and  the  New-York  claims  and 
jurisdiction  so  set  at  defiance,  that  a  civil  war  had  very 
nearly  ensued.     The  ground  assumed  by  this  infant  colo- 
ny was  the  right  of  a  people  to  self-government,  and  ac- 
cordingly she  established  her  own  in  defiance  of  the 
threats  of  New- York  and  her  governor.     But  a  greater 
cause  soon  fixed  the  attention  of  this  high-minded  people. 


STATE  OF  VERMONT.  223 

In  the  very  heat  of  their  contention  with  the  New- York 
claimants  and  legislature,  the  quarrel  broke  out  between 
the  British  government  and  the  American  people.  From 
this  quarrel  the  mountaineers  of.  Vermont  might  easily 
have  excused  themselves.  Far  removed  from  the  sea, 
without  commerce,  untaxed  and  ungoverned,  the  arbitra- 
ry measures  of  the  English  ministry  clashed  with  no  im- 
mediate interests  of  theirs,  and,  heated  as  they  were  in 
other  disputes,  might  have  been  supposed  little  calculated 
to  excite  their  opposition  by  wounding  their  pride ;  but, 
superior  to  all  selfish  considerations,  their  own  quarrel 
was  lost  in  that  of  the  community.  The  news  of  the  bat- 
tle of  Lexington  had  no  sooner  reached  them,  than  we 
find  Ethan  Allen,  at  the  head  of  a  troop  of  Vermont 
mountaineers,  surprising  the  important  post  of  Ticonde- 
roga.  Summoning  the  surrender  of  the  fort  in  the  dead 
of  night,  "  In  whose  name  ?"  said  the  astonished  and  irri- 
tated commander.  "  In  the  name,  of  the  great  Jehovah 
and  the  continental  congress,"  replied  the  patriot.  This 
continental  congress  contained  no  representatives  of  the 
people  of  Vermont ;  it  had  not  pronounced  upon  the  jus- 
tice or  injustice  of  the  claims  preferred  against  them,  nor 
acknowledged  the  independent  jurisdiction  which  they 
had  established ;  but  it  was  an  assembly  gathered  under 
the  wings  of  freedom ;  it  asserted  for  others  those  rights 
which  the  Vermontese  had  asserted  for  themselves;  — 
without  hesitation  therefore,  without  waiting  to  be  solicit- 
ed, or  essaying  to  make  stipulations,  voluntarily  and  un- 
conditionally these  champions  of  the  rights  of  man  forsook 
their  ploughshares  and  their  pruninghooks,  recommended 
their  women  and  children  to  the  protection  of  heaven,  and 
went  forth  to  fight  the  battles  of  their  brethren. 

After  the  declaration  of  independence,  the  Vermontese 
appealed  to  the  congress  as  to  the  supreme  government,  de- 
manding to  be  admitted  into  the  confederacy  as  an  inde- 
pendent state.  They  grounded  their  pica  upon  the  same 


224  STATE  OF  VERMONT. 

great  principles  by  which  the  other  states  had  justified 
their  resistance  to  Great  Britain ;  —  the  right  of  a  people 
to  institute  their  own  government,  and  the  invalidity  of  all 
contracts  unceinented  by  a  mutual  agreement  between 
the  parties.     New- York,  on  the  other  hand,  could  appeal 
only  to  royal  grants  and  deeds  legally  rather  than  justly 
executed.     The  feelings  of  the  congress  were  well  dis- 
posed towards  the  Vermont  cause  ;  but  New- York  \\  as 
too  important  an  ally    to   be  decided  against  rashly ; 
judgment  therefore  was  deferred   until  the  two  states 
should  come  to  agreement  between  themselves,  or  until 
more  peaceful  days  should  bring  leisure  to  the  congress  to 
examine  into  all  the  bearings  of  the  question.     Thus 
thrown  out  of  the  pale  of  the  Union,  it  was  imagined  by 
the  enemy,  that  Vermont  might  easily  be  won  from  the 
common  cause.     She  was  now  promised  high  privil 
and  an  individual  existence  as  a  royal  province  ;  but  this 
generous  republic  was  not  to  be  so  bought  from  honour  : 
firm  in  her  resistance  to  New- York,  she  was  as  true  to 
the  cause  of  America  ;  her  handful  of  freemen  asserted 
their  own  rights,  and 'sustained  those  of  their  brethren 
throughout  that  trying  contest.     At  its  close,  and  when 
the  national  independence  was  finally  established,  the  dis- 
pute with  her  sister  state  was  amicably  adjusted  ;  and  she 
then  voluntarily  joined  herself  as  a  fourteenth  state  to  the 
thirteen  original  confederated  republics  whose  cause  she 
had  so  zealously  and  magnanimously  made  her  own. 

In  consequence  of  her  resistance  to  the  jurisdiction  of 
New- York,  Vermont  had  asserted  and  enjoyed  an  inde- 
pendent existence  several  years  before  the  dismemberment 
of  the  colonial  provinces  from  Great  Britain  ;  but  the  con- 
stitution, as  it  now  stands,  was  not  finally  arranged  until 
the  year  1 793. 

The  plan  of  government  is  among  the  most  simple  of 
any  to  be  found  in  the  Union.  The  legislative  depart- 
ment is  composed  of  one  house,  whose  members  are 


STATE  OF  VERMONT. 


220 


chosen  by  the  whole  male  population  of  the  state.  In  this 
mountainous  district,  peopled  by  a  race  of  simple  agricul- 
turists, the  science  of  legislation  may  be  supposed  to  pre- 
sent few  questions  of  difficulty ;  nor  has  it  been  found 
necessary  to  impede  the  process  of  law-making  by  forcing 
a  projected  statute  to  pass  through  two  ordeals.  You  find 
in  the  constitution  of  Vermont  another  peculiarity  which 
marks  a  people  Argus-eyed  to  their  liberties.  In  the  other 
republics,  the  people  have  thought  it  sufficient  to  preserve 
to  themselves  the  power  of  summoning  a  convention,  to 
'  alter  or  amend  their  plan  of  government  whenever  they 
may  judge  it  expedient ;  but  the  Vermontese,  as  if  unwill- 
ing to  trust  to  their  own  vigilance,  have  decreed  the  stated 
election  of  a  Council  of  Censors,  to  be  convened  for  one 
year  at  the  end  of  every  seven  years,  whose  business  it  is 
to  examine  whether  the  constitution  has  been  preserved 
inviolate ;  "  whether  the  legislative  or  executive  branches  of 
government  have  performed  their  duty  as  guardians  of  the 
people,  or  assumed  to  themselves,  or  exercised  other  or 
greater  powers  than  they  are  entitled  to  by  the  constitution," 
to  take  in  review,  in  short,  every  public  act,  with  the 
whole  course  of  administration  pursued  since  the  last 
meeting  of  the  censors.  If  any  acts  appear  to  them  to 
have  been  unconstitutional,  their  business  is  to  refer  them 
to  the  legislative  assembly  then  sitting,  stating  the  grounds 
of  their  objection,  and  recommending  a  revisal  of  the  same. 
They  are  farther  empowered  to  judge  of  the  propriety  of 
revising  the  existing  constitution  ;  and  should  any  article 
appear  defective,  or  not  clearly  defined,  to  promulgate  the 
articles  objected  to,  and  the  amendments  proposed,  which, 
being  considered  and  approved  by  the  people,  other  dele- 
gates are  appointed  to  decree  the  same  in  convention, 
according  to  the  instructions  received  from  their  consti- 
tuents. 

The  assembly  now  meets  in  the  little  town  of  Montpe- 
lier,  situated  in  a  secluded  valley  in  the  centre  of  tho  state. 

31 


226  STATE  OF  VERMONT. 

Having  gained  the  centre,  the  seat  of  government  is  now 
probably  fixed.  It  is  a  strange  novelty  in  the  eyes  of  a 
European  to  find  legislators  assembled  in  a  humble  and 
lonely  village  to  discuss  affairs  of  state.  How  strangely 
has  liberty  been  libelled !  Behold  her  in  the  mountains  of 
Vermont,  animating  a  people,  who,  at  the  first  sound  of 
oppression,  would  rise  like  lions  from  their  lair,  but  who. 
in  the  free  exercise  of  undisputed  rights,  and,  walking  erect 
among  their  hills  with  a  spirit  untamed,  and  thought  un- 
shackled, live  on  a  life  of  peace  and  industry,  unharming 
and  unharmed,  proud  as  the  noble  in  feudal  seigniory,  and 
peaceful  as  the  flocks  which  graze  upon  their  mountains  ! 

The  men  of  Vermont  are  familiarly  known  by  the  name 
of  Green-mountain  boys ;  a  name  which  they  themselves 
are  proud  of,  and  which,  I  have  remarked,  is  spoken  with 
much  complacency,  and  not  unfrequently  with  a  tone  of 
admiration  or  affection,  by  the  citizens  of  the  neighbour- 
ing states. 

Before  leaving  Vermont,  I  would  observe,  that  the 
Scotch  emigrant  would  probably  find  it  peculiarly  suited 
to  his  habits  and  constitution.  A  healthy  climate,  a  hilly 
country,  affording  either  pasture  or  arable  land,  —  the  fru- 
gal, hardy,  and  industrious  Scotch  farmer  might  here  find 
himself  at  home,  or  rather  in  a  home  somewhat  improved. 
There  are  many  valuable  tracts  unreclaimed  in  the  lower 
valleys,  and  much  land  of  moderate  value  on  the  sides  of 
the  mountains.  Our  sons  of  the  mist  might  here  see  their 
Grampians  and  Cheviots  swelling  out  of  a  better  soil,  and 
smiling  under  a  purer  heaven.  They  would  find  too  a 
race,  of  industry  and  intelligence  equal  or  superior  to  their 
own,  and  animated  with  a  spirit  of  independence  that  they 
might  imbibe  with  advantage.  * 

European  emigrants  are,  perhaps,  given  to  roam  too  far 
into  the  interior  of  this  continent.  The  older  states  have 

*  There  is  one  Scotch  settlement  in  Vermont  in  a  very  flourishing  concli 
tion,  and,  I  believe,  stragglers  continue  occasionally  to  join  it. 


STATE  OF  VERMONT.  227 

still  sufficient  of  vacant  lands  to  settle  down  multitudes, 
and,  as  I  have  before  remarked,  men  have  usually  many 
things  to  learn  when  they  arrive  in  this  country.  The 
American  enters  the  western  wilderness  skilled  to  van- 
quish all  difficulties ;  and  understanding  to  train  his  chil- 
dren in  the  love  of  their  country,  founded  upon  a  know- 
ledge of  its  history,  and  an  appreciation  of  its  institutions, 
he  is  fitted  to  form  the  advanced  guard  of  civilivation ; 
the  foreigner,  in  general,  will  be  better  placed  in  the  main 
body,  where  he  may  himself  receive  instructions,  and  im- 
bibe feelings  suited  to  his  newly  assumed  character  as  a 
citizen  of  a  republic. 


228 


LETTER  XVIII. 


DIRECTION  OF  AMERICAN  GENIUS.  FOUNDERS  OF  THE 

AMERICAN  REPUBLICS. ESTABLISHMENT  OF  THE  FEDE- 
RAL GOVERNMENT. 

Whitehouse,  New-Jersey,  Dec.  1819. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

I  REGRET  that  the  circumstances  which  constrained  us 
to  cut  short  our  journey  through  the  eastern  states,  have 
also  prevented  me,  for  some  time  past,  from  writing  with 
my  usual  punctuality. 


With  this  short  summary,  you  must  allow  me  to  pass 
over  the  remainder  of  our  tour,  and  come  at  once  to  the 
subject  of  your  letter,  now  before  me.  I  will  do  my  best 
to  reply  to  *  *  *'s  inquiries,  not  pretending,  however, 
to  give  a  better  solution  of  them  than  I  apprehend  others 
may  have  given  before. 

It  has  been  common  of  late  years  to  summon  the  lite- 
rature of  America  to  the  European  bar,  and  to  pass  a 
verdict  against  American  wit  and  American  science. 
More  liberal  foreigners,  in  alluding  to  the  paucity  of 
standing  American  works  in  prose  or  rhyme,  are  wont  to 
ascribe  it  to  the  infant  state  of  society  in  this  country ; 
others  read  this  explanation,  I  incline  to  think  at  least, 
without  affixing  a  just  meaning  to  the  words.  Is  it  not 
commonly  received  in  England,  that  the  American  nation 
is  in  a  sort  of  middle  state  between  barbarism  and  refine- 
ment ?  I  remember,  that,  on  coming  to  this  country,  I  had 


DIRECTION  OF  AMERICAN  GENIUS.  229 

myself  but  a  very  confused  notion  of  the  people  that  I 
was  to  find  in  it ;  sometimes  they  had  been  depicted  to 
me  as  a  tribe  of  wild  colts,  chewing  the  bit  just  put  into 
their  mouths,  and  fretting  under  the  curb  of  law,  care- 
lessly administered,  and  yet  too  strict  withal  for  their  un- 
tamed spirits ;  at  other  times  I  understood  them  to  be  a 
race  of  shrewd  artificers,  speculating  merchants,  and 
plodding  farmers,  with  just  enough  of  manners  to  growl 
an  answer  when  questioned,  and  enough  of  learning  to 
read  a  newspaper,  drive  a  hard  bargain,  keep  accounts, 
and  reason  phlegmatically  upon  the  advantages  of  free 
trade  and  popular  government.  These  portraits  appeared 
to  me  to  have  few  features  of  resemblance;  the  one 
seemed  nearly  to  image  out  a  Dutchman,  and  the  other 
a  wild  Arab.  To  conceive  the  two  characters  combined 
were  not  very  possible  ;  I  looked  at  both,  and  could  make 
nothing  of  either. 

The  history  of  this  people  seemed  to  declare  that  they 
were  brave,  high-minded,  and  animated  with  the  soul  of 
liberty ;  their  institutions,  that  they  were  enlightened ; 
their  laws,  that  they  were  humane ;  and  their  policy,  that 
they  were  peaceful,  and  kept  good  faith ;  but  I  was  told 
that  they  were  none  of  these.  Judge  a  man  by  his  works, 
it  is  said  ;  but  to  judge  a  nation  by  its  works  was  no  adage, 
and,  I  was  taught,  was  quite  ridiculous.  To  judge  a  na- 
tion by  the  reports  of  its  enemies,  however,  seemed  equally 
ridiculous ;  so  I  determined  not  to  judge  at  all,  but  to  land  in 
the  country  without  knowing  any  thing  about  it,  and  wait 
until  it  should  speak  for  itself.  The  impressions  that  I  have 
received,  I  have  occasionally  attempted  to  impart  to  you  ; 
they  were  such  at  first  as  greatly  to  surprise  me,  for  it  is 
scarcely  possible  to  keep  the  mind  unbiassed  by  current 
reports,  however  contradictory  their  nature,  and  however 
intent  we  may  be  to  let  them  pass  unheeded. 

There  is  little  here  that  bespeaks  the  infancy  of  socie- 
ty in  the  sense  that  foreigners  usually  suppose  it  applica- 


230  DIRECTION  OF  AMERICAN  GENIUS. 

ble ;  the  simple  morals,  more  equalized  fortunes,  and 
more  domestic  habits  and  attachments,  generally  found  in 
this  country,  as  compared  with  Europe,  doubtless  bespeak 
a  nation  young  in  luxury,  but  do  they  bespeak  a  nation 
young  in  knowledge  ?  It  would  say  little  for  knowledge 
were  this  the  case. 

It  is  true  that  authorship  is  not  yet  a  trade  in  this  coun- 
try ;  perhaps  for  the  poor  it  is  a  poor  trade  every  where  ; 
and  could  men  do  better,  they  might  seldom  take  to  it  as 
a  profession  ;  but,  however  this  may  be,  many  causes 
have  operated  hitherto,  and  some  perhaps  may  always 
continue  to  operate,  to  prevent  American  genius  from 
showing  itself  in  works  of  imagination,  or  of  arduous  lite- 
rary labour.  As  yet,  we  must  remember,  that  the  coun- 
try itself  is  not  half  a  century  old.  The  generation  is 
barely  passed  away  whose  energies  were  engrossed  by  a 
struggle  for  existence.  To  the  harassing  war  of  the  re- 
volution, succeeded  the  labours  of  establishing  the  national 
government,  and  of  reorganizing  that  of  the  several 
states ;  and  it  must  be  remembered  that,  in  America,  nei- 
ther war  nor  legislation  is  the  occupation  of  a  body  of 
men,  but  of  the  whole  community  ;  it  occupies  every  head 
and  every  'heart,  rouses  the  whole  energy,  and  absorbs 
the  whole  genius  of  the  nation. 

The  establishment  of  the  Federal  Government  was  not 
the  work  of  a  day ;  even  after  its  conception  and  adoption, 
a  thousand  clashing  opinions  were  to  be  combated.  The 
war  of  the  pen  succeeded  to  that  of  the  sword,  and  the 
shock  of  political  parties  to  that  of  hostile  armies ;  the 
struggle  continued  through  the  whole  of  that  administra- 
tion denominated  Federal.  After  the  election  of  Mr. 
Jefferson,  it  revived  for  a  moment  with  redoubled  vio- 
lence ;  and  though  this  was  but  the  flickering  of  the  flame 
in  the  socket,  it  engaged  the  attention  of  the  whole  peo- 
ple, and  continued  to  do  so  until  the  breaking  out  of  the 
second  war :  which,  in  its  progress,  cemented  all  parties, 


DIRECTION  OF  AMERICAN  GENIUS.  231 

and,  in  its  issue,  established  the  national  independence, 
and  perfected  the  civil  union.  It  is  but  four  years,  there- 
fore, that  the  public  mind  has  been  at  rest ;  nay,  it  is  only 
so  long  that  the  United  States  can  be  said  to  have  enjoy- 
ed an  acknowledged  national  existence. 

It  was  the  last  war,  so  little  regarded  in  Europe,  but  so 
all-important  to  America,  that  fixed  the  character  of  this 
country,  and  raised  it  to  the  place  which  it  now  holds 
among  the  nations  of  the  world.  Am  I  mistaken  in  the 
belief  that  Europeans,  (and  I  speak  here  of  the  best  in- 
formed,) have  hitherto  paid  but  little  attention  to  the  in- 
ternal history  of  the  United  States  ?  When  engaged  in 
the  revolutionary  struggle,  they  were  regarded  with  a  mo- 
mentary sympathy ;  the  fate  of  mankind  hung  upon  the 
contest ;  it  was  tyranny's  armed  legions  opposed  to  liber- 
ty's untrained,  but  consecrated  band ;  and  the  enlightened 
patriot  of  every  clime  felt,  that  the  issue  was  to  decide  the 
future  destinies  of  the  world.  The  battle  being  fought, 
this  young  and  distant -nation  again  seemed  to  shrink  into 
insignificance ;  the  whirlwind  had  now  turned  upon  Eu- 
rope, and  all  her  thinking  heads  were  employed  in  poising 
state  against  state,  empire  against  empire,  or  one  tyrant 
against  another  tyrant ;  while  America,  removed  from  the 
uproar,  was  binding  up  her  wounds,  and  arranging  her 
disturbed  household.  The  people  of  Europe  had  soon 
well  nigh  forgotten  her  existence ;  and  their  governors 
only  occasionally  remembered  her,  to  tell  her  that  she 
was  not  worth  regarding.  Her  ships  were  robbed  upon 
the  seas,  and  insulted  in  the  ports,  and  from  these  at 
length  shut  out.  She  remonstrated  to  be  laughed  at ;  she 
resented  the  insults,  and  at  last  challenged  the  aggressors, 
and  was  stared  at.  The  ministry  which  had  dared  her 
to  the  quarrel,  drew  carelessly  a  million  from  their  trea- 
sury, dispatched  some  detachments  from  their  fleets  and 
armies,  and  sat  down  in  quiet  expectation,  that  the  Ame- 
rican republics  were  once  again  to  be  transformed  into 


232  DIRECTION  OF  AMERICAN  GENIUS. 

British  colonies.  A  few  more  generous  politicians  occa- 
sionally threw  a  glance  across  the  ocean,  curious  to  see 
how  the  Herculean  infant  would  once  again  cope  with 
the  matured  strength  of  a  full-grown  empire,  and  were 
perhaps  scarcely  less  surprised  than  the  cabinet  of  St. 
James's  by  the  issue  of  the  rencontre. 

If  *  *  *  *  will  study  the  history  of  this  country,  he 
will  find  it  teeming  with  business.  America  was  not  asleep 
during  the  thirty  years  that  Europe  had  forgotten  her ;  she 
was  actively  employed  in  her  education ;  —  in  framing 
and  trying  systems  of  government ;  in  eradicating  preju- 
dices; in  vanquishing  internal  enemies;  in  replenishing 
her  treasury ;  in  liquidating  her  debts ;  in  amending  her 
laws  ;  in  correcting  her  policy  ;  in  fitting  herself  to  enjoy 
that  liberty  which  she  had  purchased  with  her  blood ;  — 
in  founding  seminaries  of  learning;  in  facilitating  the 
spread  of  knowledge ;  —  to  say  nothing  of  the  revival  of 
commerce ;  the  reclaiming  of  wilderness  after  wilderness ; 
the  facilitating  of  internal  navigation ;  the  doubling  and 
tripling  of  a  population  trained  to  exercise  the  rights  of 
freemen,  and  to  respect  institutions  adopted  by  the  voice 
of  their  country.  Such  have  been  the  occupations  of 
America.  She  bears  the  works  of  her  genius  about  her ; 
we  must  not  seek  them  in  volumes  piled  on  the  shelves  of 
a  library.  All  her  knowledge  is  put  forth  in  action ;  lives 
in  her  institutions,  in  her  laws ;  speaks  in  her  senate ;  acts 
in  her  cabinet ;  breathes  even  from  the  walls  of  her  cities, 
and  the  sides  of  her  ships.  Look  on  all  she  has  done,  on 
that  which  she  is ;  count  the  sum  of  her  years ;  and  then 
pronounce  sentence  on  her  genius.  Her  politicians  are  not 
ingenious  theorists,  but  practical  statesmen ;  her  soldiers 
have  not  been  conquerors,  but  patriots ;  her  philosophers 
not  wise  reasoners,  but  wise  legislators.  Their  country 
has  been  and  is  their  field  of  action  ;  every  able  head  and 
nervous  arm  is  pressed  into  its  service.  The  foreign 
world  hears  nothing  of  their  exploits,  and  reads  none  of 


DIRECTION  OF  AMERICAN  GENIUS.  233 

their  lucubrations  ;  but  their  country  reaps  the  fruits  of 
their  wisdom,  and  feels  the  aid  of  their  service ;  and  it  is 
in  the  wealth,  the  strength,  the  peace,  the  prosperity,  the 
good  government,  and  the  well  administered  laws  of  that 
country  that  we  must  discover  and  admire  their  energy 
and  genius. 

In  Europe  we  are  apt  to  estimate  the  general  cultiva- 
tion of  a  people  by  the  greater  or  less  number  of  their 
literary  characters.  Even  in  that  hemisphere,  it  is,  per- 
haps, an  unfair  way  of  judging.  No  one  would  dispute 
that  France  is  greatly  advanced  in  knowledge  since  the 
era  of  the  revolution,  and  yet  her  literary  fame  from  that, 
period  has  been  at  a  stand.  The  reason  is  obvious  — ' 
that  her  genius  was  called  from  the  closet  into  the  senate 
and  the  field;  her  historians  and  poets  were  suddenly 
changed  into  soldiers  and  politicians  ;  her  peaceful  men 
of  letters  became  active  citizens,  known  in  their  genera- 
tion by  their  virtues  or  their  crimes.  Instead  of  tragedies, 
sonnets,  and  tomes  of  philosophy,  they  manufactured  laws, 
or  marshalled  armies ;  opposed  tyrants,  or  fell  their  vic- 
tims, or  played  the  tyrant  themselves.  Engaged  in  the 
war  of  politics,  a  nation  is  little  likely  to  be  visited  by  the 
muses ;  they  are  loungers,  who  love  quiet,  and  sing  in  the 
shade ;  they  come  not  upon  the  field  until  the  battle  is  long 
over ;  and,  before  they  celebrate  the  actions  of  the  dead, 
the  moss  has  grown  upon  their  graves.  The  battle  is 
now  over  in  America,  but  it  is  no  more  than  over  ;  and  it 
is  doubtful,  perhaps,  whether  her  popular  government 
must  not  always  have  something  too  bustling  in  it  for  the 
"  gentle  nine."  A  youth,  conscious  of  talents,  here,  sees 
the  broad  way  to  distinction  open  before  him ;  the  highest 
honours  of  the  republic  seem  to  tempt  his  ambition,  and 
the  first  wish  of  his  heart  is  to  be  a  statesman.  This  se- 
cures able  servants  to  the  commonwealth,  and  quickens 
the  energy  and  intelligence  of  the  whole  people ;  but  it 
causes  all  their  talent  to  be  put  forth  in  the  business  of 

32 


234  DIRECTION  OF  AMERICAN  GENIUS. 

the  clay,  and  thus  rather  tends  to  impart  dignity  to  the 
country,  than  to  procure  immortality  to  individuals. 
Those  Americans  who  have  been  known  in  Europe  as 
authors,  have  been  better  known  in  their  own  country  as 
active  citizens  of  the  republic ;  nor  does  my  memory  at 
this  moment  furnish  me  with  more  than  two  exceptions  to 
this  rule.*  The  able  political  writers  of  the  revolution, 
and  of  the  busy  years  succeeding  it,  were  all  soldiers  or 
statesmen,  who  with  difficulty  snatched  a  moment  from 
the  active  duties  which  their  country  devolved  upon  them, 
to  enlighten  their  fellow  citizens  upon  points  of  vital  na- 
tional importance.  Barlow,  known  only  in  England  as 
the  author  of  the  Columbiad,  was  a  diplomatist,  and  an 
able  political  writer.  The  venerable  Dwight  was  here 
held  in  honour,  not  as  the  author  of  "  The  Conquest  of 
Canaan,"  but  as  the  patron  of  learning ;  the  assiduous 
instructor  of  youth,  and  a  popular  and  energetic  writer  of 
the  day.  I  could  in  the  same  way  designate  many  living 
characters  whose  masterly  abilities  have  been  felt  in  the 
cabinets  of  Europe,  and  which  here  are  felt  in  every  de- 
partment of  the  civil  government,  and  in  all  the  civic  pro- 
fessions. These  men,  who,  in  other  countries,  would 
have  enlarged  the  field  of  the  national  literature,  here 
quicken  the  pulse  of  the  national  prosperity ;  eloquent  in 
the  senate,  able  in  the  cabinet,  they  fill  the  highest  offices 
of  the  republic,  and  are  repaid  for  their  arduous  and  un- 
ceasing labours,  by  the  esteem  of  their  fellow  citizens, 
and  the  growing  strength  of  their  country. 

No  nation  has,  perhaps,  ever  produced,  in  the  same 
term  of  years,  more  high-minded  patriots  and  able  states- 
men than  the  American.  Who  laid  the  foundation  of 
these  republics  ?  Not  robbers  and  bandits,  as  some  of  our 

*  Brown,  the  author  of  the  well-known  novels,  Arthur  Mervyn,  the  Veutri 
loquist,  &c.  and  Mr.  Washington  Irving.  When  the  latter  left  his  country  to 
visit  Europe,  he  was  too  young  to  have  been  known  in  any  other  character 
than  that  of  au  author.  The  elegant  work  of  this  gentleman,  entitled  "  Th* 
Sketch-Book,"  is  equally  admired  on  both  sides  of  the  Atlantic. 


FOUNDERS  OF  THE  REPUBLICS.  235 

ministerial  journals  would  persuade  their  readers,  but  the 
wisest  citizens  of  the  wisest  country  then  existing  on  the 
globe.  The  father  of  Virginia  was  an  English  hero,  who 
might  adorn  a  tale  of  chivalry  ;  a  knight  errant,  who  hunt- 
ed honour  through  the  world,  and  came  at  last,  in  the  pure 
love  of  liberty  and  daring  adventure,  to  found  a  colony  in 
the  American  wilderness.*  The  fathers  of  Maryland 
were  sages  and  philanthropists,  who  placed  freedom  of 
conscience  before  the  privileges  of  birth,  or  the  enjoyments 
of  luxury,  —  English  noblemen,  whose  birth  was  their 
poorest  distinction,  who  taught  religious  and  political 
equality  in  an  age  when  both  were  unknown,  and  raised 
an  asylum  in  this  distant  world  for  the  persecuted  of  every 
sect  and  every  clime.f  The  fathers  of  New-England 
were  the  Hampdens  of  Britain,  who  came  to  enjoy  liber- 
ty, and  serve  their  austere  God,  among  savage  beasts,  and 
yet  more  savage  men,  bearing  all  things  rather  than  the 
frowns  of  tyranny,  and  the  jurisdiction  of  hierarchs. 
Among  them  were  men  of  erudition  and  of  opinions  be- 
fore their  age.  The  venerable  Roger  Williams,  (an  ad- 
vocate of  religious  as  well  as  civil  liberty,)  promulgated 
principles  which  were  afterwards  abetted  by  Milton  and 
Locke.J  Oglethorpe,  the  father  of  Georgia,  united  the 

*  Captain  John  Smith. 

t  George  and  Cecilius  Calvcrt,  the  Lords  Baltimore,  and  Leonard  Calvert, 
brother  of  Cecilius.  This  distinguished  family  was  attached  to  the  church 
of  Rome.  While  all  the  European  nations,  and,  more  or  less,  the  other  Ame- 
rican colonists,  were  harassing  each  other  for  their  differing  opinions,  a  Ro- 
man Catholic  promulgated  the  doctrine,  not  of  religious  toleration,  but  reli- 
gious equality.  The  Puritans,  under  the  reign  of  Cromwell,  first  disturbed 
the  peace  of  the  infant  Maryland  ;  but  it  was  not  till  after  the  English  revo- 
lution, that  her  wise  and  philanthropic  institutions  were  broken  down  by  a 
royal  decreei  William  the  Third  finally  annihilated  Catholic  ascendancy  iu 
England,  and  established  Protestant  ascendancy  in  Ireland  and  Maryland 
1688  was  a  happy  year  for  only  one  portion  of  the  British  empire. 

J  A  comparison  between  the  Rhode-Island  Charter  and  the  Constitution 
presented  to  Carolina  by  Locke,  would  lead  us  to  pronounce  Roger  William^ 
a  more  sapient  legislator  than  his  more  distinguished  disciple 


236  FOUNDERS    OF  THE 

characters  of  a  soldier,  a  legislator,  a  statesman,  and  a 
philanthropist.  In  his  youth,  he  learned  the  art  of  war 
from  Prince  Eugene  ;  in  his  maturer  years  he  supported, 
in  the  British  parliament,  the  interests  of  his  country,  and 
the  claims  of  humanity.  He  was  the  leader  of 

"  the  generous  band,   - 

Who,  touched  with  human  wo,  redressive  searched 
Into  the  horrors  of  the  gloomy  jail.* 

THOMSON'S  Winitr,  line  350. 

Pennsylvania  wears  the  name  of  her  sage.  In  fact 
there  is  not  one  of  the  colonies  whose  foundations  were 
not  laid  by  the  hands  of  freemen,  and  men  wise  in  tbeir 
generations.  The  political  revolutions  of  England  con- 
tinued to  throw  into  them  many  of  her  best  and  bravest 
citizens ;  many  too  of  gentle  birth  and  refined  manners. 
The  edict  of  Nantz  sent  to  them  some  of  the  most  en- 
lightened and  virtuous  sons  of  France;  similar  edicts, 
many  of  the  noblest  sons  of  Ireland.  From  the  loins  of 
such  exiles  proceeded  the  heroes  of  the  revolution.  Un- 
til the  very  period  of  the  quarrel  which  raised  America  to 
the  rank  of  an  independent  nation,  many  of  England's 
most  distinguished  families  came  to  establish  their  penates 
in  the  New  World,  either  from  a  spirit  of  adventure,  or 
attracted  by  the  superior  beauty  of  the  climate  and  the 
frank  and  hospitable  character  of  the  people.  We  find, 

*  In  the  forty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  General  Oglethorpc  placed  himself  at 
the  head  of  a  crowd  of  poor  sufferers,  and  embarked  for  the  American  wil- 
derness. Having  by  his  wisdom  and  valour,  secured  the  first  settlers  from 
intestine  commotions  and  foreign  enemies,  he  returned  to  England.  At  the 
breaking  out  of  the  revolucionary  war,  the  command  of  the  British  army  was 
tendered  to  him,  as  to  the  eldest  officer  in  the  service.  "  I  will  undertake  the 
business  without  a  man  or  ship  of  war,"  was  the  reply  of  the  veteran  to  the 
minister,  "  provided  you  will  authorize  me  to  assure  the  colonists  on  my  arri- 
val among  them,  that  you  will  do  them  justice."  The  infant  (Score  ia  wa.s  ani- 
mated with  the  soul  of  her  founder ;  her  handful  of  patriots  (the  whole  popu- 
lation was  within  fifty  thousand)  joined  the  league,  anil  unfurled  the  standard 
of  independence.  The  venerable  Oglethorpe  saw  the  colony  that  he  had 
planted,  raised  into  a  free  republic,  heard  the  independence  of  America  P<- 
knowledge,  and  died  at  the  advanced  age  of  ninty-yix. 


AMERICAN  REPUBLICS.  237 

among  others,  the  representative  of  the  noble  house  of 
Fairfax  foregoing  the  baronial  honours  of  his  native  land 
for  the  liberty  and  simplicity  of  America ;  laying  down  his 
title,  and  establishing  himself  in  patriarchal  magnificence 
in  Virginia  ;  abetting,  in  his  old  age,  the  cause  of  liberty  5 
and  wearing  the  simple  and  freely  bestowed  dignities  of  a 
republic,  in  lieu  of  the  proud  titles  of  an  aristocracy.* 

But  while  America  was  thus  sought  by  enlightened  in- 
dividuals, the  parliamentary  speeches  and  pamphlets  of 
the  time  show  how  little  was  known  by  the  English  com- 
munity of  the  character  and  condition  of  the  colonists. 
Because  the  government  had  chosen  at  one  time  to  make 
Virginia  a  Botany  Bay,  an  insult  which  tended  not  a  lit- 
tle to  prepare  her  for  the  revolution,  the  country  of  Frank- 
lin, Washington,  Patrick  Henry,  Jefferson.  Schuyler,  Gates, 
Greene,  Allen,  Dickenson,  Laurens,  Livingston,  Hamil- 
ton, Jay,  Rush,  Adams,  Ilittenhouse,  Madison,  Monroe, 
and  a  thousand  other  high-minded  gentlemen,  soldiers, 
orators,  sages,  and  statesmen,  was  accounted  a  hive  of 
pickpockets  and  illiterate  hinds!  Never  was  a  national 
revolution  conducted  by  greater  men  ;  by  men  more  mag- 
nanimous, more  self-devoted,  and  more  maturely  wise  : 
and  these  men,  too,  were  not  self-elected,  nor  raised  by 
chance  to  pilot  the  vessel  of  the  state ;  they  were  called  by 
the  free  voices  of  their  fellow  citizens  to  fill  the  various 
posts  most  suited  to  their  genius.  The  people  were  as 
discriminating  as  their  servants  were  able ;  not  an  illiterate 
multitude,  hurried  by  a  few  popular  orators  or  generous 
heroes  into  actions  above  themselves ;  they  were  a  well- 
informed  and  a  well-organized  community,  animated  with  . 

*  See  Wood's  Scotch  Peerage  for  a.  short  but  interesting  account  of  Thomas 
the  sixth  Lord  Fairfax.  The  present  representative  of  this  noble  house  also 
prefers  the  character  of  an  American  citizen  to  that  of  an  English  nobleman. 
There  might  be  as  much  calculation  in  this  as  philosophy,  for  after  all,  it  is  pre- 
ferring a  sceptre  to  a  coronet.  The  American  citizen  has  no  superior,  and  is 
one  of  a  race  of  sovereigns }  the  European  Baron  has  many  superiors,  and 
is  one  of  a  race  of  subjects. 


238  FOUNDERS  OF    THE 

the  feeling  of  liberty,  but  understanding  the  duties  of  citi- 
zens, and  the  nature  and  end  of  civil  government. 

As  colonies,  the  American  states  had,  for  the  most 
part,  lived  under  constitutions  as  essentially  democratic 
as  those  of  the  present  day ;  the  chief  difference  was,  that 
they  were  engaged  in  continual  struggles  to  support  them. 
In  their  first  infancy,  their  future  destiny  was  little  fore- 
seen :  the  patents,  carelessly  granted  to  the  early  settlers 
of  New-England,  involved  rights  which  the  arbitrary 
monarchs  who  signed  them  had  never  dreamed  of;  but  of 
this  remissness  they  very  speedily  repented. 

The  colonial  history  of  America  would  be  alone  suffi- 
cient to  stamp  the  character  of  the  Stuart  kings  :  not 
content  with  torturing  the  consciences  and  outraging  the 
rights  of  the  English  people  in  their  own  island,  we  find 
them  hunting  the  patriots  whom  their  tyranny  had  made 
exiles,  even  in  the  howling  wilderness  of  the  new  world  ; 
as  if  determined  that  a  freeman  should  not  live  on  the 
whole  surface  of  the  globe.  One  might  pause  to  smile  at 
the  contradictory  acts  of  Charles  II.,  at  once  a  thought- 
less voluptuary  and  a  rapacious  tyrant,  had  they  sport- 
ed with  matters  of  less  value  than  the  rights  and  happi- 
ness of  mankind.  This  spoiled  child  of  power  careless- 
ly set  his  hand  to  the  noblest  charters  ever  accorded  by  a 
king  to  a  people,  and  then  waged  an  eternal  war  with  the 
peaceful  and  far  distant  handful  of  freemen  who  deter- 
mined to  abide  by  them.*  The  hard  contest  in  which  the 
young  colonies  were  unceasingly  engaged  with  the  succes- 
sive monarchs  and  varying  administrations  of  the  mother 
country,  sharpened  the  wits  of  their  people.  Occasional- 
ly their  charters  were  broken  down  by  force  ;  but  never 
was  a  fraction  of  their  liberties  yielded  up  by  themselves, 
or  stolen  from  them  without  their  knowledge  :  they  strug- 

*  The  present  of  a  curious  ring  from  Winthrop,  the  enlightened  father  of 
Massachusetts,  is  said  to  have  wou  the  royal  signature  to  the  democratic  char- 
ter of  Connecticut. 


AMERICAN  REPUBLICS.  239 

gled  and  bled  for  every  right  which  fell ;  to  die  by  the  hands 
of  others  rather  than  by  their  own  was  the  early  motto  of 
this  people  ;  nor,  perhaps,  could  one  have  been  imagined 
more  calculated  to  render  them  invincible. 

What  is  most  worthy  of  admiration  in  the  history  of 
America,  is  not  merely  the  spirit  of  liberty  which  has  ever 
animated  her  people,  but  their  perfect  acquaintance  with 
the  science  of  government,  which  has  ever  saved  that 
spirit  from  preying  on  itself.  The  sages  who  laid  the 
foundation  of  her  greatness,  possessed  at  once  the  pride 
of  freemen,  and  the  knowledge  of  English  freemen ;  in 
building  the  edifice,  they  knew  how  to  lay  the  foundation ; 
in  preserving  untouched  the  rights  of  each  individual, 
they  knew  how  to  prevent  his  attacking  those  of  his  neigh- 
bour :  they  brought  with  them  the  experience  of  the  best 
governed  nation  then  existing ;  and,  having  felt  in  their 
own  persons  the  errors  inherent  in  that  constitution,  which 
had  enlightened,  but  only  partly  protected  them,  they 
knew  what  to  shun  as  well  as  what  to  imitate  in  the  new 
models  which  they  here  cast,  leisurely  and  sagely,  in  a 
new  and  remote  world.  Thus  possessed  from  the  begin- 
ning of  free  institutions,  or  else  continually  occupied  in 
procuring  or  defending  them,  the  colonies  were  well  pre- 
pared to  assume  the  character  of  independent  states. 
There  was  less  of  an  experiment  in  this  than  their  ene- 
mies supposed.*  Nothing,  indeed,  can  explain  the  obsti- 
nacy of  the  English  ministry  at  the  commencement  of 
the  revolutionary  struggle,  but  the  supposition,  that  they 

*  Mr.  Burke,  who  seems  to  have  possessed  a  more  thorough  acquaintance 
with  the  institutions  and  character  of  the  colonists  than  any  other  British 
statesman,  insisted  much  on  "  the  form  of  their  provincial  legislative  assem- 
blies," when  tracing  the  consequences  likely  to  result  from  the  oppressive 
acts  of  the  parliament.  "  Their  governments,"  observed  this  orator,  "  are 
popular  in  a  high  degree ;  some  are  merely  popular  ;  in  all,  the  popular  re- 
presentative is  the  most  weighty ;  and  this  share  of  the  people,  in  their  ordi- 
nary government,  never  fails  to  inspire  them  with  lofty  sentiments,  and  with 
a  strong  aversion  from  whatever  tends  to  deprive  tlirm  of  their  chief  im- 
portanop  " 


2siO  KSTABLI.SHMEM    Ol    THK 

were  wholly  ignorant  of  the  history  of  the  people  to  whom 
they  were  opposed.  May  I  be  forgiven  the  observation, 
that  the  inquiries  of  *  *  have  led  me  into  the  be- 

lief, that  some  candid  and  well-informed  English  gentK-.- 
men  of  the  present  day,  have  almost  as  little  acquaint- 
ance with  it  as  had  Lord  North. 

Respecting  the  revolution  itself,  the  interest  of  its  mili- 
tary history  is  such  as  to  fix  the  attention  of  the  most 
thoughtless  readers ;  but  in  this,  foreigners  sometimes  ap- 
pear to  imagine,  was  expended  the  whole  virtue  of  Ame- 
rica. That  a  country  which  could  put  forth  so  much  ener- 
gy, magnanimity,  and  wisdom,  as  appeared  in  that  strug- 
gle, should  suddenly  lose  a  claim  to  all  these  qualities, 
would  be  no  less  surprising  than  humiliating.  If  we. 
glance  at  the  civil  history  of  these  republics  since  the  era 
of  their  independence,  do  we  find  no  traces  of  the  same 
character  ?  Were  we  to  consider  only  the  national  in- 
stitutions, the  mild  and  impartial  laws,  the  full  establish- 
ment of  the  rights  of  conscience,  the  multiplication  of 
schools  and  colleges  to  an  extent  unknown  in  any'other 
country  of  the  world,  and  all  those  improvements  in  every 
branch  of  internal  policy  which  have  placed  this  people- 
in  their  present  state  of  peace  and  unrivalled  prosperity, 
we  must  allow  them  to  be  not  only  wise  to  their  inte- 
rests, but  alive  to  the  pleas  of  humanity  ;  but  there  are 
not  wanting  instances  of  a  yet  more  liberal  policy. 

How  seldom  is  it  that  history  affords  us  the  example  of 
a  voluntary  sacrifice  on  the  part  of  separate  communities 
to  further  the  common  good!  It  appears  to  me  that  the 
short  history  of  America  furnishes  us  with  more  exam- 
ples of  this  kind,  than  that  of  any  other  nation,  ancient, 
or  modern.  Throughout  the  war  of  the  revolution,  and 
for  some  years  preceding  it,  the  public  feeling  may  be  said 
to  have  been  unusually  excited.  At  such  times,  men, 
and  societies  of  men,  are  equal  to  actions  beyond  the 
strength  of  their  virtue  at  cooler  moments.  Passing  on, 


FEDERAL  GOVERNMENT.  241 

therefore,  to  the  peace  of  1783  ;  we  find  a  number  of  in- 
dependent republics  gradually  reconciling  their  separate 
and  clashing  interests ;  each  yielding  something  to  pro- 
mote the  advantage  of  all,  and  sinking  the  pride  of  indi- 
vidual sovereignty  in  that  of  the  united  whole.  The  re- 
marks made  by  Ramsay  on  the  adoption  of  the  federal 
constitution  are  so  apposite  that  I  cannot  resist  quoting 
them. 

"  The  adoption  of  this  constitution  was  a  triumph  of 
*'  virtue  and  good  sense  over  the  vices  and  follies  of  hu- 
"  man  nature ;  in  some  respects,  the  merit  of  it  is  greater 
"  than  that  of  the  declaration  of  independence.  The 
"  worst  of  men  can  be  urged  on  to  make  a  spirited  resist- 
"  ance  to  invasion  of  their  rights ;  but  higher  grades  of 
"  virtue  are  requisite  to  induce  freemen,  in  the  possession 
"  of  a  limited  sovereignty,  voluntarily  to  surrender  a  por- 
"  tion  of  their  natural  liberties  ;  to  impose  on  themselves 
"  those  restraints  of  good  government  which  bridle  the 
"  ferocity  of  man,  compel  him  to  respect  the  claims  of 
"  others,  and  to  submit  his  rights  and  his  wrongs  to  be 
"  decided  upon  by  the  voices  of  his  fellow  citizens.  The 
"  instances  of  nations  which  have  vindicated  their  liberty 
"  by  the  sword,  are  many ;  of  those  which  have  made  a 
"  good  use  of  their  liberty  when  acquired,  are  compara- 
"  tively  few." 

Nor  did  the  liberality  of  these  republics  evince  itself 
only  in  the  adoption  of  the  general  government ;  we  find 
some  making  voluntary  concessions  of  vast  territories, 
that  they  might  be  devoted  to  national  purposes  ;  others 
releasing  part  of  their  own  people  from  existing  engage- 
ments, and  leaving  them  to  consult  their  wishes  and  con- 
venience by  forming  themselves  into  new  communities. 

Should  we  contrast  this  policy  with  that  employed  by 
other  nations,  we  might  hastily  pronounce  this  people  to 
be  iingularly  free  from  the  ordinary  passions  of  humanity ; 
but,  no;  they  are  only  singularly  enlightened  in  the  art  of 


242  FEDERAL  GOVERNMENT. 

government :  they  have  learned  that  there  is  no  strength 
without  union;  no  union  without  good  fellowship;  and 
no  good  fellowship  without  fair  dealing  :  and  having 
learned  this,  they  are  only  singularly  fortunate  in  being 
able  to  reduce  their  knowledge  to  practice. 

With  these  loose  observations,  I  must  conclude  this  let- 
ter. When  leisure  permits  me,  I  will  endeavour  to  reply 
to  your  inquiries  upon  the  present  state  of  parties  and 
tone  of  the  public  feeling.  To  make  this  intelligible,  it 
may  be  necessary  to  take  a  hasty  review  of  the  national 
administration  since  the  establishment  of  the  federal  go- 
vernment. 


243 


LETTER  XIX, 


ON  THE  FEDERAL  ADMINISTRATIONS. MR.  JEFFERSON.— 

CAUSES  OF  THE  LAST  WAR.  REGULATIONS  OF  THE 

NAVY  AND  MERCHANTMEN. EFFECTS  OF  THESE  ON 

THE  SAILOR'S  CHARACTER.  — ANECDOTE.  —  DEFENCE  OF 

THE  COUNTRY. HOW  CONDUCTED  BY  THE  PEOPLE. 

ARMY  OF  THE  WEST. POLICY  OF  THE  NEW-ENGLAND 

STATES. EFFECT  OF  THE  WAR  ON  THE  NATIONAL 

CHARACTER. 

New- York,  January,  1820 

"•$.;       ' 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

THE  history  of  the  Federal  party,  which,  after  a  short 
reign  and  a  struggle  of  some  years,  drew  its  last  breath  in 
the  Hartford  Convention,  is  now  chiefly  worth  recalling  as 
an  evidence  of  the  ease  with  which  the  machinery  of  this 
government  is  moved.  A  complete  revolution  of  parties, 
effected  by  the  quiet  exertion  of  a  free  elective  franchise, 
is  a  novelty  in  the  history  of  nations.  That  extreme  of 
liberty  from  which  so  much  mischief  has  been  foretold  by 
those  who,  in  argument,  were  wont  to  confound  the  Ame- 
rican with  the  Greek  democracies,  (two  forms  of  govern- 
ment, having  as  much  in  common  as  those  of  China  and 
England,)  wras  here  proved  to  be  the  safeguard  of  the 
public  peace.  What  temptation  have  men  to  employ  the 
sword  who  can  effect  what  they  want  by  a  word  ?  There 
must  be  a  power  to  resist  ere  violence  can  be  attempted  : 
this  power  is  wanting  in  America. 


244  POLITKiAL  PARTIES. 

Party  names  are  seldom  significant  of  party  principles ; 
but.  perhaps,  no  names  were  ever  less  so  than  those  of 
Federal  and  Anti-federal,  as  once  known  in  this  country : 
the  absurdity  of  the  latter  was  soon  tacitly  acknowledged 
even  by  their  opponents ;  and  with  this  tacit  acknowledg- 
ment ended  their  own  power.  When  the  Federal  stood 
opposed  to  the  Democrat,  it  was  the  government  opposed 
to  the  people  —  the  shadow  against  the  substance. 

It  is  not  my  intention  to  enter  into  a  dull  exposition  of 
parties  now  extinct;  I  would  only  remark  that,  in  the 
gradual  decay  of  the  Federal  opposition,  we  may  trace 
the  gradual  formation  of  a  national  character.  I  remem- 
ber an  observation  you  once  repeated  to  me  as  having 
been  made  by  one  of  the  enlightened  veterans  of  the  re- 
volution. "  I  want  our  people  to  be  neither  French  nor 
English,  Federals  nor  Democrats;  —  I  want  them  to  be 
Americans."  And  Americans  they  now  are.  The  pre- 
sent generation  have  grown  up  under  their  oxvn  national 
institutions ;  these  are  now  sacred  in  their  eyes,  not  from 
the  mere  beauty  of  those  principles  of  abstract  justice 
upon  which  they  are  founded,  but  from  the  tried  experi- 
ence of  their  wisdom ;  they  now  understand  all  the  move- 
ments of  the  sublime  but  simple  machinery  of  their  go- 
vernment ;  they  have  learned  not  to  fear  either  its  strength 
or  its  weakness  ;  both  have  been  proved.  If  danger 
threatens  the  state,  it  can  rouse  the  whole  energy  of  the 
nation ;  if  it  encroaches  on  the  liberties  of  that  nation,  it 
is  stopped  with  a  touch. 

The  establishment  of  the  Federal  Constitution  was  an 
era  in  the  history  of  man.  It  was  an  experiment  never 
before  made ;  and  one  upon  which  the  liberties  of  a  nation, 
perhaps  of  a  world,  depended.  It  was  natural,  therefore, 
that  all  should  regard  it  with  anxiety,  and  some  be  doubt- 
ful of  its  results.  While  the  people  were  yet  apprehen- 
sive lest  they  might  have  delegated  too  much  power  to  the 
new  government,  it  was  most  singularly  fortunate  that  the 


WASHINGTON  AND  HAMILTON.         245 

man  existed  whose  integrity  was  no  less  tried  than  his 
name  was  popular.  How  various  soever  the  clashing  in. 
terests  and  opinions  of  the  day,  the  name  of  the  first  pre- 
sident was  always  a  rallying  point  of  union ;  even  those 
most  inimical  to  the  administration,  bore  testimony  to  the 
virtues  of  Washington  ;  and  perhaps  nothing  speaks  bet- 
ter for  the  hearts  and  heads  of  the  American  people, 
than  the  unanimous  re-election  of  that  venerable  patriot, 
at  the  same  time  that  the  ranks  of  the  opposition  to  the 
measures  of  the  government  were  daily  thickening. 

This  opposition,  as  you  may  remember,  was  mainly 
pointed  at  the  system  of  finance  introduced  by  the  secre- 
tary Hamilton.  The  measures  of  that  able  statesman 
restored  the  credit  of  the  nation,  revived  commerce,  invi- 
gorated agriculture,  and  created  a  revenue.  Some  thought, 
however,  that  they  did  too  much  ;  tending  so  to  strengthen 
the  government,  as  to  make  it  approximate  in  some  mea- 
sure to  that  of  England.  However  idle  these  fears  may 
now  seem,  they  were  natural  at  the  time  ;  having  just  set 
the  engine  of  government  at  work,  the  people  were  startled 
at  its  power,  and  could  scarcely  believe  that  their  breath, 
which  had  set  it  in  motion,  could  check  it  as  instanta- 
neously. 

It  is  possible  that  some  desire  existed  on  the  part  of  the 
earlier  administrations  to  strain  to  the  utmost  the  powers 
delegated  to  them ;  there  seemed  even  to  be  a  necessity 
for  this ;  the  political  machine  had  been  so  shaken  during 
the  protracted  war  of  the  revolution,  that  it  demanded 
nervous  as  well  as  skilful  hands  to  arrange  all  its  parts, 
and  set  all  its  wheels  in  play.  The  vigour  of  Hamilton 
and  the  prudence  of  Washington  seemed  well  to  balance 
each  other ;  they  established  an  efficient  government  at 
home,  and  commanded  respect  from  abroad.  Whatever 
might  be  the  political  opinions  of  the  former,  whether 
purely  republican,  or  leaning,  as  was  suspected,  towards 
aristocracy,  it  was  soon  universally  acknowledged,  that 


246  FEDERAL  STATESMEN. 

his  measures  had  promoted  the  prosperity  and  lasting  inte- 
rests of  his  country.  We  may  observe,  indeed,  that  there 
is  one  peculiar  excellence  in  the  American  constitution — 
that  while  an  able  statesman  has  it  in  his  power  to  pro- 
mote the  public  good,  he  must  ever  find  it  difficult  to  work 
public  mischief;  he  cannot  work  for  himself,  or  for  a  part 
of  the  community,  he  must  work  for  the  whole,  or  give  up 
working  at  all.  This  was  made  apparent  at  the  ejection 
of  the  federal  party  under  the  administration  of  Mr. 
Adams. 

The  federal,  or,  to  speak  more  properly,  the  high  go- 
vernment party,  comprised  many  pure  patriots  and  able 
statesmen.  Their  errors  were  those  of  judgment,  we  may 
say  of  education.  They  were  born  under  a  different  sys- 
tem of  things  from  that  which  arose  out  of  the  revolution 
which  they  had  assisted  to  guide.  Some  lingering  preju- 
dices might  naturally  cling  to  the  minds,  and  influence  the 
feelings  of  men  who,  in  their  youth,  had  looked  with  ad- 
miration to  the  political  experience,  as  well  as  the  science, 
of  Europe.  It  needed  to  be  a  philosopher  as  well  as  a 
statesman,  to  foresee  how,  out  of  the  simple  elements  of  a 
fair  representative  government,  order  might  grow  out  of 
chaos,  and  a  people  guide  themselves,  evenly  and  calmly, 
without  the  check  of  any  controlling  power,  other  than 
that  administered  by  the  collision  of  their  own  interests 
balanced  against  each  other. 

To  these  leading  statesmen,  whose  public  services  had 
been  such  as  to  insure  the  respect,  and  consequently  the 
voices  of  their  fellow  citizens,  even  while  their  opinions 
were  understood  to  be  in  some  things  at  variance  with 
those  of  the  majority,  a  party  gradually  attached  them- 
selves, by  no  means  inconsiderable  in  numbers,  and  pos- 
sessing the  influence  of  superior  wealth.  This  influence, 
however,  was  more  apparent  than  real,  and  probably  ef- 
fected the  ruin  of  the  party  which  admitted  its  support. 

The  American  revolution,  though  conducted  with  an 


AMERICAN  TORIES.  247 

unanimity  unexampled  in  the  history  of  nations,  was  not 
wholly  without  enemies,  declared  as  well  as  secret.  The 
state  of  New- York,  particularly,  was  encumbered  with  a 
powerful  band  of  Tories  ;  who,  enjoying  under  the  British 
government  high  patronage,  and  places  of  trust  and  emo- 
lument, and,  in  many  cases,  possessing  hereditary  pro- 
perty, were  little  disposed  to  transfer  their  loyalty  from 
George  III.  to  their  fellow  citizens,  until  circumstances 
should  render  it  necessary.  These  circumstances  occur- 
red ;  and  to  make  the  best  of  a  bad  case,  they  forthwith 
attached  themselves  to  the  existing  powers,  and  ranging 
themselves  on  the  side  of  the  new  administration,  declared 
themselves  sworn  friends  of  the  new  constitution.  This 
reminds  me  of  the  game  played  in  England,  and  indeed 
of  the  game  played  by  the  Tories  every  where  ;  they  are 
at  all  times,  and  in  all  places,  the  exclusively  loyal,  and 
their  opposers,  enemies,  not  to  the  measures  of  govern- 
ment, but  to  government  itself.  The  game  here,  however, 
was  innocent  enough  ;  it  was  the  rattling  of  the  dice  while 
no  stake  could  be  betted  on  the  throw.  In  the  quiet  exer- 
cise of  their  powers,  the  sovereign  people  set  all  things 
to  rights.  The  majority  without  doors  is  here  always  the 
majority  within.  The  democratic  party  gained  the  as- 
cendant, and  Mr.  Jefferson,  the  framer  of  the  declaration 
of  independence,  the  friend  arid  disciple  of  Franklin,  the 
able  statesman  and  warm  patriot,  the  enlightened  philo- 
sopher, and  generous  friend  of  the  human  race,  stood  the 
chief  magistrate  of  the  republic. 

Mr.  Jefferson  affords  a  splendid  elucidation  of  a  remark 
contained  in  my  last  letter,  —  that  the  literary  strength  of 
America  is  absorbed  in  the  business  of  the  state.  In  early 
life,  we  find  this  distinguished  philosopher  and  elegant 
scholar  called  from  his  library  into  the  senate,  and  from 
that  moment  engaged  in  the  service,  and  finally  charged 
with  the  highest  offices  of  the  commonwealth.  Had  he 
been  born  in  Europe,  he  would  have  added  new  treasures 


248  MR.  JEFFERSON  AND  MR.  MADISON. 

to  the  store  of  science,  and  bequeathed  to  posterity  the 
researches  and  generous  conceptions  of  his  well-stored 
and  original  mind,  not  in  hasty  "  notes,"  but  in  tomes  com- 
piled at  ease,  and  framed  with  that  nerve  and  classic  sim- 
plicity which  mark  the  "  Declaration"  of  his  country's 
"independence."  Born  in  America, 

"  The  post  of  honour  is  a.  public  station;" 

to  this  therefore  was  he  called ;  and  from  it  he  retires, 
covered  with  years  and  honours,  to  reflect  upon  a  life  well 
spent,  and  on  the  happiness  of  a  people  whose  prosperity 
he  did  so  much  to  promote.  The  fruits  of  his  wisdom  are 
in  the  laws  of  his  countiy,  and  that  country  itself  will  be 
his  monument. 

The  elections  which  raised  Mr.  Jefferson  to  the  chief 
magistracy,  brought  with  them  a  change  both  of  men  and 
measures.  The  most  rigid  economy  was  carried  into  eve- 
ry department  of  government ;  some  useless  offices  were 
done  away ;  the  slender  army  was  farther  reduced,  ob- 
noxious acts,  passed  by  the  former  congress,  repealed, 
and  the  American  constitution  administered  in  all  its  sim- 
plicity and  purity. 

Of  course  so  complete  a  revolution  of  parties  could  not 
take  place  without  some  commotion ;  the  anger  of  the 
fallen  minority  vented  itself  in  a  paper  war;  some  sound- 
ed the  tocsin  to  the  religious,  declaring  the  president  a 
deist ;  others,  to  the  friends  of  good  government,  declaring 
him  an  anarchist.  This  truly  wise  statesman  turned  a 
deaf  ear  to  the  clamour ;  aware  ^hat  a  government,  whose 
every  act  is  done  in  the  light  of  day,  whose  members 
dwell  among  their  fellow  citizens,  in  whose  ears  all  their 
words  are  spoken,  and  in  whose  sight  all  their  measures 
are  conducted,  has  nothing  to  fear,  save  from  its  own  mis- 
conduct. 

It  is  curious  to  see  the  governments  of  Europe  encir- 
cled with  armed  legions,  and  yet  trembling  at  every  squib 


MR.  JEFFERSON  AND  MR.  MADISON.  249 

cast  upon  them  by  an  unarmed  multitude,  while  that  of 
America,  standing  naked  in  the  midst  of  an  armed  nation, 
counts  the  breath  of  slander  like  the  whisper  of  the  wind, 
and  seeks  no  other  way  of  refuting  it  than  by  steadily  pur- 
suing the  path  of  duty,  and  consulting,  in  all  its  measures, 
the  vital  interests  of  the  community. 

The  policy  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  and  that  of  his  venerable 
successor,  Mr.  Madison,  was  so  truly  enlightened  and 
magnanimous,  as  to  form  an  era  in  the  history  of  their 
country.  The  violence  of  the  fallen  party  vented  itself  in 
the  most  scurrilous  abuse  that  ever  disgraced  the  free 
press  of  a  free  country  ;  it  did  more,  —  it  essayed  even  to 
raise  the  standard  of  open  rebellion  to  that  government  of 
which  it  had  professed  itself  the  peculiar  friend  and  stay.* 
The  former  administration  had  had  recourse  to  libel  laws 
and  legal  prosecutions  to  repress  the  vehemence  of  politi- 
cal hostility ;  but  these  chief  magistrates,  with  a  dignity 
becoming  their  character  and  station,  passed  unheeded 
every  opprobrium  cast  upon  them ;  leaving  it  to  the  good 
sense  of  the  nation,  whose  unbought  voices  had  placed 
them  at  its  head,  to  blunt  the  steel  of  calumny,  and  defeat 
the  machinations  of  disappointed  politicians  and  ambitious 
incendiaries.  This  policy  was  in  the  true  spirit  of  the 
American  constitution,  and  the  result  proved  that  it  was 
in  the  true  spirit  of  philosophy  and  good  sense. 

The  unrestrained  clamours  of  the  slender  minority, 
which  waxed  louder  in  proportion  as  it  waxed  weaker, 
betrayed  the  foreign  enemy  into  a  belief  that  the  pillars  of 
the  Union  were  shaken.  If  they  were  so,  it  undoubtedly 

*  Can  any  thing  expose  better  the  absurdity  of  party  names  than  the  hos- 
tility of  the  Federalists  to  Mr,  Madison,  and  the  nation  who  declared  him 
its  president  ?  Mr.  Madison,  who  had  been  the  chief  assistant  in  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Federal  constitution,  who  first  moved  for  the  convention  which 
digested  it,  and  was  himself  one  of  the  sages  who  laboured  in  its  formation! 
Thus  is  it  in  England ;  the  whigs,  who  procured  the  constitution  of  their 
country,  and  whose  whole  efforts  have  been  put  forth  for  its  protection,  are 
branded  as  its  enemies. 

34 


250  POLICY  OF  EUROl'i:. 

took  the  best  method  of  refixing  them  in  their  places, 
when  it  offered  assistance  in  the  work  of  pulling  them 
asunder.  The  foreign  enemies  of  America  have  often  dom 
more  than  her  internal  friends  to  school  her  into  reason. 
The  obstinacy  of  one  English  ministry  forced  her  into  in- 
dependence ;  the  intrigues  of  another  forced  her  into  union  : 
one  taught  her  to  look  to  her  rights ;  another  to  her  in- 
terests, and  her  wounded  honour;  both  together  have 
made  her  a  nation. 

This  republic  has  also  been  fortunate  in  having  excited 
the  hostility  of  all  the  European  governments  generally. 
Had  France  continued  to  favour  her  a&  steadily  as  Eng- 
land to  maltreat  her,  she  might  have  admitted  idle  predi- 
lections into  her  councils,  and  perhaps  have  taken  part 
in  the  mad  warfare  that  has  so  lately  ceased  to  devastate 
Europe  from  one  end  to  the  other. 

The  neutrality,  so  wisely  maintained  by  Washington, 
with  the  contending  powers  of  Europe,  had  at  first  met 
with  a  vehement  opposition  in  every  part  of  the  Union. 
France,  Fayette,  and  Liberty,  were  names  that  spoke  to 
the  heart  of  every  American  ;  and  had  not  the  Gallican  re- 
public been  so  soon  disgraced  by  crimes  and  follies,  even  the 
influence  of  Washington  might  have  proved  insufficient  to 
prevent  his  country  from  taking  part  with  a  people  who 
had  so  lately  bled  in  their  cause.  The  subsequent  policy 
of  France  rendered  her  nearly  as  obnoxious  as  her  adver- 
sary. Between  the  British  orders  in  council  and  the 
French  imperial  decrees,  there  was  little  to  choose  ;  Ame- 
rica was  bandied  to  and  fro,  like  a  shuttlecock,  between 
the  contending  empires  •,  and  if  one  struck  less  hard  than 
the  other,  it  was  not  that  her  intentions  were  less  hostile, 
but  that  her  hand  was  less  vigorous. 

There  was,  however,  an  insult  offered  by  one  of  the 
parties  which  turned  the  balance  against  her  yet  more  de- 
cidedly than  the  forcible  interruption  of  American  trade. 
It  was  the  impressment  of  American  seamen.  In  con- 


CAUSES  OP  THE  WAR.  251 

.sidering  the  long  forbearance  of  this  government,  we 
scarcely  know  whether  to  admire  or  to  smile  at  it ;  to  ad- 
mire, if  we  look  at  its  good  faith,  its  good  cause,  and  its 
just  and  firm  arguments ;  and  to  smile,  if  we  consider  these 
as  pleaded  in  European  cabinets.  May  this  republic 
never  barter  her  simplicity  for  the  cunning  policy  of  older 
states! 

It  were  painful  to  review  the  circumstance  which  pro- 
voked the  young  America  to  throw  down  the  gauntlet  a 
second  time  to  the  most  powerful  empire  in  the  world. 
When  she  did  so,  the  odds  seemed  scarcely  less  against 
her  than  when  she  first  ranged  herself  under  the  standard 
of  Liberty  ;  if  she  had  increased  in  strength,  so  had  her 
enemy:  her  progress,  too,  had  been  all  in  the  arts  of 
peace,  while  that  of  her  enemy  had  been  all  in  the 
science  of  war.  The  veterans  of  the  revolution  slept  with 
their  fathers,  or  were  disabled  by  years ;  an  immense  ter- 
ritory, its  former  extent  more  than  doubled,  its  coasts  and 
lines  unfortified,  and  harbouring  in  its  population  some 
secret  enemies,  and  many  lukewarm  friends,*  was  sud- 
denly laid  open  to  the  incursions  of  veteran  troops,  and 
tribes  of  savage  Indians,  and  the  descent  of  fleets  which 
had  hitherto  ruled 'the  ocean  without  a  rival ;  all  that  she 
could  oppose  to  these  was  an  infant  navy,  whose  bravery 
and  skill  had  been  proved  in  a  short  but  desperate  conflict 
with  the  pirates  of  the  Mediterranean,  a  good  cause,  and 
a  good  spirit;  "free  trade  and  sailors'  rights."  It  was  a < 
war  of  defence,  not  of  aggression  ;  a  war  entered  into  by 
a  nation  whose  citizens  had  been  torn  from  under  their 
flag,  and  that  flag  insulted  on  every  sea  and  in  every  port. 

The  aggressions  which  roused  the  republic  were  such 
as  singularly  to  fire  the  spirit  of  her  seamen.  I  have 
the  authority  of  many  of  her  distinguished  citizens  for 

*  During  the  war,  the  liljei'ality  of  llie  republic  seemed  to  recoil  upon  her- 
self;  strangers,  and,  in  some  cases,  naturalized  citizens,  received  the  ene- 
my's gold;  and  spied  out  the  weakness  of  (lie  land  tls.it  sheltered  them. 


252  REGULATION'S  OF  THE 

stating,  that  there  was  scarcely  a  vessel  in  her  navy 
which  did  not  contain  one  or  more  men  who  had  escaped 
to  their  country  with  infinite  perils,  after  constrained  ser- 
vice of  two,  four,  and  even  seven  years'  duration  on  board 
British  ships  of  war.  To  this  union  of  personal,  or  profes- 
sional, with  national  wrongs,  I  have  commonly  heard  as- 
cribed the  superhuman  bravery  which  animated  their 
crews.* 

There  are,  however,  other  causes  to  be  found  in  the  re- 
gulations of  American  vessels,  alone  sufficient  to  account 
for  the  spirit  of  the  navy.  Not  a  man  walks  the  decks 
but  with  a  free  will.  The  sailor's  here  is  a  voluntary  en- 
gagement, which  binds  him  only  for  three  years ;  and 
which,  in  removing  him  from  the  shores  of  his  coun- 
try, does  not  remove  him  from  the  shield  of  its  laws.  On 
board  a  United  States'  ship,  no  offender  can  be  punished 
at  the  mere  option  of  a  superior  officer ;  for  small  offences, 
the  sailor  may  be  subjected  to  a  slight  punishment  by  the 
watch  present  at  the  time  of  the  offence ;  for  greater  mis- 
demeanors, he  cannot  be  so  much  as  tried  on  board  the 
vessel  in  which  they  are  committed  ;  his  trial  must  stand 
over  until  an  impartial  court  can  be  found,  either  in  the 
United  States'  territories,  or  a  United  States'  ship.  His 
commander  can  then  only  put  him  upon  trial,  and  his 
companions  become  witnesses  for  or  against  him.  It  re- 
quires little  acquaintance  with  our  nature  to  see  how  the 
exemption  from  arbitrary  law  and  corporal  punishments, 
which,  in  this  country,  are  in  no  case  allowed,  whether  in 
the  army,  navy,  or  elsewhere,  must  tend  to  elevate  the 
character.  Assertion,  which  so  often  usurps  the  place  of 

*  A  friend  of  the  author's  saw,  not  long  since,  the  American  Scaevola  in 
his  own  country,  who,  after  the  declaration  of  war  on  the  part  of  the  republic, 
struck  off  his  hand  with  a  hatchet,  and  presented  it  to  the  British  commander, 
into  whose  vessel  he  had  been  pressed  some  months  before,  told  him,  thai, 
if  that  was  deemed  insufficient  to  disable  him  from  the  service  of  his  countn  '-• 
enemies,  nnd  to  purchase  hi?  liberty,  he  had  a  licnd  .«HH  to  strike  off  a  fool 


AMERICAN  NAVY.  253 

argument,  tells  us  in  Europe,  that  brutal  coercion  is  ne- 
cessary to  produce  naval  discipline.  The  navy  of  Ame- 
rica affords  to  this  a  simple  confutation.  A  case  of  mu- 
tiny in  it  is  unknown,  desertion  as  little.  The  ships  evince 
the  perfection  of  cleanliness,  discipline,  activity,  and 
valour.  Their  crews,  it  is  true,  are  formed  of  a  higher  class 
than  are  found  in  the  vessels  of  any  other  nation  ;  men  of 
decent  parentage  and  education,  free  and  proud  citizens 
of  a  country,  at  whose  expense,  if  poor,  they  have  been 
taught  to  read  her  history  and  understand  her  laws,  with 
all  the  rights  that  these  impart  to  them.  These  crews, 
also,  are  furnished  by  volunteers  from  merchantmen  placed 
under  regulations  unknown,  I  believe,  to  the  merchant- 
men of  any  other  nation,  and  which  afford  an  easy  ex- 
planation of  that  intelligence,  dexterity,  and  good  order, 
which  astonish  all  foreigners  who  tread,  for  the  first  time, 
the  deck  of  an  American  trader. 

Before  a  vessel  can  clear  out  of  port,  a  list  is  taken  by 
certain  officers,  salaried  for  the  purpose,  of  every  living 
creature  on  board  of  her,  passengers  and  men.  The  name, 
age,  &c.  of  the  latter  are  preserved,  and  the  captain  is 
held  responsible  for  every  life  thus  registered.  However 
long  the  vessel  may  be  absent,  at  whatever  country  or 
countries  she  may  touch,  her  captain  is  bound  for  the  sup- 
port of  his  men  on  sea  and  land,  and,  on  his  return,  must 
either  produce  them,  or  bring  with  him  vouchers,  attested 
by  the  American  consul,  stationed  in  the  foreign  port  to 
which  he  has  traded,  that  those  not  produced  are  dead  or 
absent  by  their  own  will.  Should  the  captain  break  his 
engagements,  or  treat  any  man  with  capricious  severity, 
he  can  be  placed  on  trial  by  the  aggrieved  party,  in  the 
first  American  port  the  vessel  enters ;  all  those  on  board 
of  the  vessel,  being  summoned  as  witnesses.*  These  re- 

*  Among  the  minor  regulations  are  those  which  provide  the  quantity  and 
quality  of  flip  shin  store?,  and  apportion  the  rations  of  the  men.  The  captain 


254  REGULATIONS  OP  THE 

gulations,  enforced  with  the  utmost  strictness,  place  the 
men,  as  it  were,  under  the  tutelage  of  the  captain,  obli- 
ging him,  at  the  same  time,  to  be  a  fair  and  gentle  guar- 
dian. While  in  foreign  ports,  an  American  captain 
hedges  in  his  crew  like  a  schoolmaster  entrusted  with  th<- 
charge  of  other  men's  children ;  well  knowing,  that  if  any 
secret  mischief  should  befall  them,  the  republic  will  not 
rest  satisfied,  unless  it  be  made  apparent  how  and  when 
it  occurred.*  In  this  manner,  an  unusual  security  is  given 

is  farther  required  to  have  on  hoard  a  box  of  approved  medicines,  and  to  un- 
derstand, in  ordinary  cases,  to  administer  them. 

*  An  American  captain,  well  known  to  the  author  as  a  man  of  singular 
intelligence,  integrity,  and  humanity,  once  lost,  off  the  shores  of  Lima,  li is 
black  cook,  who  suddenly  fell  down  dead  while  handing  to  his  master  a  cup 
of  coffee  when  alone  writing  in  the  cabin.     A  young  sailor-boy,  who  had  en- 
tered with  the  cook,  and  then  passed  into  an  adjoining  cabin,  heard  the  fall, 
and  ran  to  the  spot,  at  the  call  of  his  master.    The  latter  summoning  his  men, 
after  trying,  in  vain,  all  the  remedies  that  occurred  to  him,  noted  the  death 
on  the  log-book,  with  a  clear  statement  of  the  manner  in  which  it  had  occur- 
red, giving  the  same  statement  to  his  men,  corroborated,  so  far  as  WHS  possi- 
ble, by  the  testimony  of  the  boy.     There  was,  at  the  time,  no  trade  between 
the  republic  and  Lima,  and  the  vessel  in  question  had  only  put  in  to  water. 
There  being,  therefore,  no  consul  to  appeal  to,  the  captain,  with  some  trou- 
ble and  expense,  procured  and  brought  on  board  a  Spanish  doctor.  Showing 
him  the  dead,  the  American  requested  him,  in  the  best  Spanish  he  could  com- 
mand, (a  language  he  had  learned  in  his  youth,  during  a  short  residence  in 
South  America,)  to  open  the  body,  and  note  down  in  the  log-book,  in  the  pre- 
sence of  the  ship's  crew,  of  what  the  negro  had  died.     Sangrado  stared, 
shook  his  head,  and  gravely' pronounced,  that  the  body  before  him  was  dead. 
No  explanations  or  entreaties  could  draw  forth  any  other  answer.     Had  the 
Spaniard  possessed  more  surgery  and  penmanship,  it  is  doubtful  whether  he 
could  have  been  made  to  understand  the  case  before  him,  or  brought  to  com- 
ply with  the  requisitions.     As  it  was,  he  ran  away.     The  captain  then  had 
recourse  to  a  convent  of  priests,  and,  by  a  bribe  of  fifty  dollars,  got  them 
to  bury  his  cook,  after  the  Romish  fashion,  in  his  presence,  and  to  attest,  in 
writing,  that  they  had  done  so.     Returning  to  New-York,  he  stated  the  mat- 
ter, and  produced  his  log-book,  and  attestations  of  the  Spanish  priests.     But, 
though  a  known  and  respected  citizen,  with  good  connections  in  the  city,  hi.- 
word  was  not  taken  as  sufficient.     All  the  ship's  crew  were  examined  sepa- 
rately, and  the  depositions  compared  with  each  other,  before  the  captain  was 
absolved.     The  captain,  in  conversation  with  the  author,  gave  her  part  ni 
th:s  story  to  elucidate  the  ignorance  of  the  old  Spaniards  in  South  America  . 


AMERICAN  MERCHANTMEN.  255 

lor  the  lives  and  morals  of  the  sailor,  and  a  dignity  im- 
parted to  the  profession  which  often  allures  the  sons  of  the 
most  respectable  citizens  to  serve  before  the  mast.  It  is 
not  uncommon  even  for  naval  officers  to  make  their  first 
apprenticeship  as  sailor-boys  in  merchantmen ;  and,  from 
what,  I  have  stated,  you  will  perceive,  that  this  may  here 
be  done  without  degradation. 

This  discipline,  practised  on  board  the  merchantmen, 
and  not,  as  was  supposed  in  England,  the  desertion  of 
British  sailors,  was  the  magic  spell  which  called  into  be- 
ing the  spirited  navy  of  the  republic.  A  British  deserter 
was  never  (knowingly  at  least)  employed  throughout  the 
war.  It  was  absolutely  forbidden  by  law,  as  well  from 
motives  of  humanity,  as  to  avoid  disputes  with  the  enemy. 
An  anecdote  occurs  to  me  which  well  evinces  the  strict, 
and  even  fastidious  regard  that  was  had  to  this  rule. 

The  frigate  President  (Commodore  Decatur)  had  re- 
received  damage  in  clearing  out  of  port,  and  was  in  a 
leaking  state,  when  she  captured  one  of  the  enemy's 
squadron.  The  capture  was  left  a  wreck,  and  the  pri- 
soners taken  on  board  the  President  not  in  a  much  better 
condition.  The  enemy's  squadron  in  pursuit,  and  the 
ship  foundering,  one  of  two  evils  was  in  the  option  of  the 
Americans ;  of  course  they  preferred  the  drowning,  and 
determined  to  make  what  sail  they  could  for  their  coun- 
try ;  it  seemed  hard,  however,  to  condemn  those  whose 
honour  was  not  engaged  in  the  affair  to  drown  with  them; 
delay  was  dangerous,  but  British  ground  not  being  far  off, 
the  commodore  determined  first  to  make  for  it,  and  put 
out  the  prisoners. 

There  chanced  among  the  strangers  to  be  an  Irishman, 
a  thorough  Paddy  in  every  thing.  Captain  Rodgers,  the 
sailing-master,  hearing  a  noise  before  the  mast,  went  to 
inquire  into  the  cause,  and  found  the  Irishman  drunk,  and 

but,  as  it  struck  her  as  curious  on  other  account?,  sho  drew  from  him  the  par- 
ticulars hf-re  given. 


250  AXECDOTE. 

quarrelling  with  liis  companions.  The  captain  took  liini 
by  the  shoulders,  and  locked  him  up  below.  An  hour  or 
two  afterwards,  he  went  to  seek  his  prisoner,  and,  finding 
him  sobered,  restored  him  to  liberty,  warning  him,  in  fu- 
ture, to  abstain  from  whiskey  and  swearing.  The  good 
promises  of  Paddy  were  not  put  to  a  long  trial.  The 
ship  neared  the  shore  of  Nova  Scotia,  and  the  prisoners 
were  put  off  in  the  boats,  with  provisions,  and  directions 
to  make  their  way  along  the  beach  to  a  neighbouring 
town.  Captain  Rodgers,  perambulating  the  deck  while 
the  boats  were  making  for  the  land,  descried  a  figure 
shunning  his  eye,  and  dpdging  him  behind  the  masts. 
"Why,  Paddy!"  cried  the  captain,  "is  that  you?"  "Ay, 
if  it  plase  your  honour,  just  to  let  me  druirn  with  you." 
The  captain  explained,  that  this  termination  was  more 
inevitable  than  he  was,  perhaps,  aware  of,  and  ordered 
him  kindly  into  the  return-boat.  The  Irishman  was  ob- 
stinate ;  if  the  ship  was  leaky,  he  argued,  more  need  of 
hands  to  work  the  pumps  ;  and  if  the  enemy  should  over- 
take them,  still  the  more  hands  the  better ;  and,  as  for 
himself,  he  pledged  his  word  to  fight  like  the  devil.  "  Yes, 
and  then  be  hanged  to  the  yard-arm,  Paddy,  when  you're 
taken  prisoner ;  no,  my  good  fellow,  you  must  e'en  to  the 
shore."  He  was  forced  by  the  men  into  the  boat ;  a  few 
minutes  afterwards,  a  shout  from  the  water  attracted  the 
attention  of  the  captain.  Paddy  was  in  the  sea,  swim- 
ming back  to  the  ship,  and  the  boat  rowing  after  him. — 
"  My  heart  never  so  smote  me  in  my  life,"  said  Captain 
Rodgers,  when  he  told  me  the  story,  "  as  it  did  when  I 
refused  him  admittance,  and  saw  him  forcibly  carried  to 
the  shore ;  I,  for  one,  would  have  let  him  drown  with  us ; 
but  the  enemy  was  in  our  rear,  his  tongue  would  have 
declared  him  a  deserter,  and  at  any  rate  we  should  have 
broken  through  our  laws."* 

*The  President  was  overtaken  by  the  squadron  and  captured.  It  is  pro- 
bable that  this  must  have  happened  at  all  events  ;  but  the  generosity  of  the 
chivalrous  Dec.itur,  in  landing  his  prisoners,  ensured  the  catastrophe. 


DEFENCE  OF  THE  REPUBLIC.          257 

To  return  from  these  digressions.  A  vigorous  navy 
was  soon  formed ;  an  army  was  not  so  easy.  The  first 
difficulty  was  the  sudden  defalcation  of  the  revenue, 
which,  for  many  years  past,  had  been  wholly  dependent 
upon  a  prosperous  commerce.  Internal  taxation  is  sel- 
dom popular  any  where,  but  least  of  all  in  a  democracy  ; 
and  here  its  rulers  appear  to  have  been  unwilling  to  have 
had  recourse  to  measures  which  might  have  checked  the 
enthusiasm  of  the  nation.  They  have  been  blamed  for 
this,  but,  perhaps,  unwisely.  In  considering  the  consti- 
tuent elements  of  this  singular  republic,  one  is  led  to 
think,  that  there  was  more  foresight  than  rashness  in 
leaving  her  to  rouse  herself  pretty  much  after  her  own 
manner. 

When  hostilities  commenced,  the  American  navy  com- 
prised ten  frigates  and  a  hundred  and  odd  gunboats,  and 
the  army  thirty-five  thousand  men,  hastily  organized,  and 
officered,  with  few  exceptions,  by  men  knowing  about  as 
much  of  military  science  as  those  they  were  appointed  to 
command.  It  was  natural,  that  careless  observers  should 
smile  or  tremble,  according  to  their  humour,  at  such  an 
outset.  But  those  acquainted  with  the  character  and 
hidden  resources  of  the  republic,  could  well  foresee  how 
one  would  draw  forth  the  other.  A  few  months,  and  the 
trees  of  her  forests  floated  on  the  ocean,  manned  with 
hearts  of  flame  worthy  of  their  cause  and  their  English 
ancestry.  The  exertions  of  the  great  maritime  cities,  as 
well  as  of  individuals,  greatly  assisted  those  of  the  go- 
vernment. As  the  war  advanced,  privateers,  matchless 
as  sailers,  and  manned  with  spirited  citizens,  who  forsook 
their  usual  occupations  and  civic  professions,  swarmed 
in  every  sea.  These  privateers,  though  private  property, 
were  ranked  in  the  national  navy,  and  placed  under  the 
same  regulations. 

In  the  land  service,  the  people  had  to  serve  a  longer 
apprenticeship.  To  fill  the  ranks  of  a  regular  army  was 

35 


258       HOW  CONDUCTED  BY  THE  PEOPLE. 

found  impracticable.  Although  the  citizen  was  asked 
only  to  enlist  for  two  years,  and  this  with  high  pay,  it  was 
scarcely  possible  to  fill  up  a  regiment.  Volunteers  were 
to  be  had  in  multitudes,  and  militia  was  ready  every 
where ;  but  to  fight  for  hire  is  here  held  in  a  contempt  and 
abhorrence,  which  no  inducements  can  vanquish.  The 
government  doubled  the  pay  —  still  with  no  better  suc- 
cess. It  was  necessary,  therefore,  to  trust  the  defence  of 
the  country  pretty  much  to  the  citizens  themselves.  They 
conducted  it,  as  might  be  expected,  with  a  great  deal  of 
folly,  a  great  deal  of  rashness,  and  a  great  deal  of  he- 
roism. 

A  raw  militia  makes  a  curious  army ;  —  sometimes 
brave  to  desperation,  sometimes  cowardly  as  a  flock  of 
geese,  and  in  both  cases  wilful  as  a  troop  of  schoolboys. 
It  is  impossible  to  help  smiling  at  some  of  the  occurren 
ces  in  the  first  campaign.  An  unpleasing  order  from  the 
general,  a  popular  officer  superseded  in  the  command,  a 
march  of  unusual  f;i(iguc,  and  —  every  man  to  his  tents, 
Oh  Israel!  At  one  time  we  find  the  general  going  one 
way,  and  the  troops,  or  more  properly  the  multitude,  ab- 
solutely going  the  other.  Orders,  entreaties  —  all  alike 
in  vain ;  the  horsemen  wheeling  right-about  in  the  wilder- 
ness, and  trotting  away  home,  with  their  angry  officer,  no 
longer  at  their  head,  but  their  heels,  bringing  up  the  rear.* 
At  another  time,  we  find  troops  and  general  at  a  sudden 
stand  for  want  of  the  common  munitions  of  war ;  their 
swords  and  pistols  being  still  in  Philadelphia,  while  they 
themselves  were  at  the  northern  frontier. 

But  with  all  this  deficiency  of  discipline,  conduct  and 
skill,  even  the  first  opening  of  the  war,  affords  instances 
of  spirited  and  successful  bravery.  Indeed  the  fault 
usually  lay  more  in  want  of  skill,  than  want  of  valour ; 

*  During  a  harassing  warfare  with  the  Indians,  in  the  Indiana  and  Illinois 
wilderness,  General  Harrison  could  presume  no  farther  than  to  make  propo- 
sitions to  his  Kentucky  volunteers  ;  and  closed  the  expedition  with  a  polite 
request,  that  he  might  be  permitted  to  dictate  tlieir  course  to  them  just  for 
one  day. 


-SPIRIT  OF  THE  WEST.  259 

and  it  is  truly  wonderful  to  consider,  how  rapidly  the 
high-spirited  and  wilful  multitude  were  tamed,  or  rather 
tamed  themselves  into  subordination. 

Throughout  the  contest,  the  young  states  of  the  west 
furnished  the  most  generous  assistance  to  the  confedera- 
cy. Nursed  under  the  wings  of  republican  liberty,  re- 
moved from  the  luxuries  of  cities,  and  exposed  to  conti- 
nual harass  from  their  savage  neighbours,  the  aborigines, 
their  character  is  veiy  peculiarly  marked  for  ardour,  dis- 
interested patriotism,  determined  courage,  and  a  certain 
chivalrous  spirit  of  enterprise  and  generosity,  which  per- 
haps has  not  its  equal  on  the  globe.  The  indignities  of- 
fered to  the  nation  had  roused  the  pride  of  this  people  for 
some  years  previous  to  the  declaration  of  war.  Kentucky, 
particularly  had  organized  ten  regiments  of  volunteers, 
comprising  upwards  of  five  thousand  men,  and  at  the  first 
opening  of  hostilities,  the  enthusiasm  of  this  common- 
wealth was  wrought  so  high,  that  the  authority  of  the  exe- 
cutive seemed  necessary  to  prevent  the  whole  male  po- 
pulation of  the  state  from  turning  out  as  soldiers.  The 
women  shared  the  patriotism  of  the  men,  vying  with  each 
other  in  repressing  their  tears,  and  actually  buckling  on 
the  swords  and  cartridges,  and  arming  the  hands  of  their 
sons  and  husbands.  The  neighbouring  state  of  Ohio,  the 
infant  territory  (now  state)  of  Indiana,  and  indeed  the 
whole  western  region,  was  animated  with  the  same  spirit. 
To  the  more  organized  regiments,  furnished  by  these 
states,  the  wanderers  of  the  frontier  joined  themselves  al- 
most to  a  man.  Trained  from  their  infancy  to  the  use  of 
the  rifle,  and  all  the  perils  of  a  hunter's  life ; —  marksmen 
who,  in  hitting  a  bird  on  the  wing,  can  say  with  the  ad- 
venturous lawman  to  Philip  of  Macedon,  To  the  right 
eye ;  horsemen  who  can  ride  untired  through  swamp  and 
forest,  swimming  rivers  and  leaping  bogs,  like  the  old 
rnoss-troopcrs  of  the  Scotch  borders ;  the  inhabitants  of 
the  western  frontier  were  peculiarly  fitted  to  carry  through 


21)0  ARMY  OF  THE  WLS  1 . 

with  spirit  the  harassing  war  with  which  their  country  was 
threatened. 

To  the  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  to  draft  the  militia 
had  been  a  work  of  supererogation;  all  the  demands 
of  the  republic  were  answered,  and  more  than  answer- 
ed by  volunteers.  In  fearlessness  and  enterprise  this 
army  of  patriots  was  unrivalled,  but  discipline  was  only 
to  be  learned  in  the  school  of  adversity.  It  is  doubt- 
ful indeed,  whether  they  ever  completely  acquired  it,  in 
the  sense  understood  by  military  men.  It  was  rather  a 
sympathy  of  feeling  than  submission  to  authority,  that  pro- 
duced concert  of  action  ;  it  was  enthusiasm  supplying  the 
place  of  skill ;  or  intuitive  genius  that  of  experience.  We 
find  a  handful  of  youths,  whose  leader  had  numbered  but 
twenty  years,  putting  to  flight  a  band  of  veteran  troops 
and  practised  Indian  warriors,  flushed  with  victory,  and 
tenfold  the  number  of  their  stripling  adversaries.  But 
they  had  pledged  their  lives  to  redeem  the  honour  of  the 
republic,  tarnished  in  the  preceding  campaign ;  and  more- 
over to  avenge  the  death  of  their  friends  and  relatives, 
slaughtered  by  the  savage  allies  of  their  opponents.*  It 
is  worthy  of  notice,  that  the  employment  of  Indians  in  the 


*  This  young  hero,  no  less  distinguished  for  his  tender  humanity  than  his- 
romantic  valour,  had  been  entrusted  with  the  defence  of  a  fort,  commanding 
one  of  the  rivers  that  fall  into  lake  P>ie.  His  general,  receiving  intimation 
that  a  strong  party  of  the  enemy  was  about  to  invest  it,  despatched  orders  to 
the  little  garrison  to  destroy  the  works,  and  make  good  a  retreat.  Young 
Groghan,  knowing  the  importance  of  the  post  he  occupied,  and,  recalling 
with  his  companions  their  sacred  engagement,  determined  to  disobey  orders, 
and  wait  the  enemy.  A  more  desperate  stand  was,  perhaps,  never  made. 
The  solemn  obligation  which  bound  these  devoted  youths,  and  the  steady 
composure  with  which  they  took  their  measures,  preserves  them  from  the 
charge  of  rashness.  Provided  as  they  were  with  no  other  weapons  than 
their  muskets  and  one  piece  of  ordnance,  and  surrounded  on  all  sides  by 
gunboats,  veteran  soldiers,  and  yelling  savages,  their  victory  seems  little  less 
than  miraculous  ;  it  was,  however,  complete  ;  and  led  the  way  in  that  train 
of  successes  which  followed  on  the  western  and  northern  frontier  ending  in 
the  battle  of  Pittsburgh. 


SPIRIT  OP  THE  SOUTH,  CENTRE,  AND  EAST.      261 

British  service  has  always  had  a  different  effect  from  that 
intended.  It  does  not  strike  terror,  but  rather  whets  the 
valour  of  those  opposed  to  such  relentless  adversaries. 
After  the  massacre  at  the  river  Raisin,  noticed  in  a  for- 
mer letter,  the  tide  of  victory  turned  in  favour  of  the  Ame- 
ricans. 

The  spirit  of  the  southern  and  middle  states  was  little 
less  ardent  than  that  of  the  west ;  but  had  it  been  other- 
wise, the  descents  made  on  their  shores  by  the  enemies' 
ships,  the  sack  of  villages,  which,  scattered  along  a  coast 
of  two  thousand  miles  extent,  it  was  often  impossible  to 
guard,  and  finally  the  burning  of  the  infant  capital,  had 
been  sufficient  to  rouse  the  energy  displayed  at  Baltimore 
and  New-Orleans. 

However  mortifying  at  the  moment,  the  conflagration 
of  the  seat  of  government  was,  perhaps,  productive  of 
more  lasting  benefit  to  the  republic  than  any  one  of  its 
most  splendid  victories.  There  was  one  quarter  of  this 
great  confederacy  which  had  hitherto  exhibited  a  lamenta- 
ble deficiency  of  patriotism. 

The  conduct  of  some  of  the  New-England  states  at  the 
opening  of  the  contest,  is  not  very  easy  to  explain.  That 
Massachusetts,  who  thirty  years  before  had  led  the  van 
in  the  army  of  patriots,  whose  cause  too  it  was  that  her 
sister  states  so  generously  advocated,  that  she  should 
suddenly  so  forget  her  former  self,  as  to  stand  by,  a  sullen 
spectator  of  a  conflict  which  involved  the  honour  and  na- 
tional existence  of  the  great  republic,  of  which  till  now 
she  had  formed  so  distinguished  a  member,  seems  at  once 
the  most  extraordinary  and  lamentable  dereliction  of  prin- 
ciple to  be  found  in  the  annals  of  nations  !  She  appears  to 
have  been  made  the  dupe  of  a  party  whose  name,  until 
this  time,  had  been  respected  even  by  the  nation  from 
whom  it  stood  aloof,  and  then  to  have  been  angry  because 
others  saw  this,  and  laughed  at  her  Gullibility. 

Among  the  first  Federals,  there  were  men  no  less  re- 


262  EFFECTS  OF  THE  WAR. 

spectable  for  their  virtues  than  their  talents ;  but  these 
had  gradually  fallen  off  from  the  minority,  to  mingle 
themselves  with  the  bulk  of  the  nation,  leaving  only  the 
old  tories  and  some  disappointed  politicians,  to  disgrace  a 
title  which  patriots  had  worn,  and  under  its  specious  mask 
to  attempt  the  ruin  of  their  country.  In  this,  fortunately, 
they  failed  ;  but  may  the  lesson  prove  a  warning  not  to 
Massachusetts  only,  but  to  each  and  all  of  these  confede- 
rated states ! 

I  have  already  had  occasion  to  observe  upon  the  change 
wrought  by  the  last  war  in  the  condition  of  the  republic  ; 
it  not  only  settled  its  place  among  the  nations,  but  ce- 
mented its  internal  union  ;  even  those  who  from  party  ill 
humour,  had  refused  their  concurrence  with  the  measures 
of  government,  and  their  sympathy  in  the  feelings  of  their 
fellow  citizens,  were  gradually  warmed  by  the  enthusiasm 
that  surrounded  them,  or  by  the  pressure  of  common  dan- 
ger forced  to  make  common  cause.  At  the  close  of  the 
contest,  one  general  feeling  pervaded  the  whole  great 
Union.  The  name  of  a  party  once  respectable,  but  now 
disgraced  by  itself,  became  universally  odious  ;  and  its 
members,  to  rise  from  the  contempt  into  which  they  had 
fallen,  found  it  advisable  to  declare  their  own  conversion 
to  the  principles  of  popular  government  and  federal  union. 

It  may  now  be  said,  that  the  party  once  misnamed  Fe- 
deral has  ceased  to  exist.  There  is  indeed  a  difference 
of  political  character,  or,  what  will  express  it  better,  a  va- 
rying intensity  of  republican  feeling  discernible  in  the  dif- 
ferent component  parts  of  this  great  Union ;  but  all  are 
now  equally  devoted  to  the  national  institutions,  and  in  - 
all  difference  of  opinion,  admit  the  necessity  of  the  mi- 
nority yielding  to  the  majority.  And,  what  is  yet  more 
important,  these  differences  of  opinion  do  not  hinge  upon 
the  merits  or  demerits  of  foreign  nations,  French  or  Eng- 
lish, Dutch  or  Portuguese.  The  wish  of  your  venerable 
friend  is  now  realized :  —  his  countrvmen  are  Americans. 


EXTINCTION  OF  PARTY.  263 

Genet  may  now  make  the  tour  of  the  states,  and  Henry 
of  New-England,  with  infinite  safety  to  the  peace  of  their 
citizens ;  and  even  Massachusetts  herself  would  now  blush 
at  the  name  of  the  Hartford  Convention.* 

*  Genet  is,  or  was  at  least  when  the  Author  was  last  in  Albany,  a  peace- 
able and  obscure  citizen  of  the  state  of  New-York.  It  is  curious  in  a  demo- 
cracy, to  see  how  soon  the  factious  sink  into  insignificance.  Aaron  Burr  was 
pointed  out  to  me  in  the  Mayor's  court  at  New- York,  an  old  man  whom  none 
cast  an  eye  upon  except,  an  idle  stranger.  In  Europe,  the  bustling  dema- 
gogue is  sent  to  prison,  or  to  the  scaffold,  and  metamorphosed  into  a  martyr ; 
in  America,  he  is  left  to  walk  at  large,  and  soon  no  one  thinks  about  him. 


264 


LETTER  XX. 


UNANIMITY  OF    SENTIMENT    THROUGHOUT   THE    NATION.  — 
NATIONAL  GOVERNMENT. FEDERAL  CONSTITUTION. 

New- York,  January,  1820. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

THERE  is  at  present  no  appearance  of  any  regular  and 
standing  minority  in  the  nation,  or  consequently  in  the 
house  of  congress ;  it  is  no  longer  a  dispute  how  the  na- 
tion is  to  be  governed  ;  the  sovereignty  is  avowedly  and 
practically  with  the  people,  who  have  agreed  to  exercise 
that  sovereignty  in  no  other  way  than  by  representatives, 
bound  to  obey  the  instructions  of  their  electors.  If  they 
do  not  obey  their  instructions,  they  are  thrown  aside  and 
others  put  in  their  place.  An  opposition  on  the  part  of 
the  governors  to  the  governed,  would  here  only  be  ab- 
surd ;  they  are  the  servants  of  the  people,  not  their  mas- 
ters ;  vested  with  just  as  much  power  as  their  employers 
see  good  to  charge  them  with,  and  constrained  to  exer- 
cise that  power,  not  after  their  own  fancy,  but  after  that 
of  the  nation.* 

*  The  representative  will,  of  course,  sometimes  find  a  struggle  within  him 
between  his  own  conviction  and  the  expressed  wishes  of  his  electors,  and 
sometimes  conscientiously  abide  by  the  former.  I  remember  the  case  of  a 
distinguished  member  from  the  west  of  Pennsylvania,  (Mr.  Baldwin,)  who 
once  voted  in  decided  opposition  to  his  received  instructions.  At  his  return 
home,  he  was  summoned  to  give  an  explanation  or  apology,  under  risk  of 
being  thrown  out.  The  member  replied,  that,  at  the  time  of  his  vote,  he  had 
ed  his  regret  that  hi?  opinion  differed  from  that  of  his  electors ;.  but 


NATIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  265 

The  government  of  the  United  States  has  been  deno- 
minated weak ;  but  that  only  by  those  who  are  accus- 
tomed to  consider  a  government  as  arrayed  against  a 
people.  It  is  quite  another  thing  here ;  the  government 
acts  with  the  people ;  is  part  of  the  people ;  is  in  short 
the  people  themselves.  It  is  easy  to  see,  that  such  a  go- 
vernment must  be  the  strongest  in  the  world  for  all  the 
purposes  for  which  governments  are  ostensibly  organized. 
The  advocates  of  arbitrary  power  tell  us  that  men  are 
bad,  and  therefore  unfit  to  govern  themselves ;  but  if  they 
are  bad,  it  is  clear  that  they  are  still  more  unfit  to  govern 
each  other.  When  rulers  are  gifted  with  the  perfection 
of  goodness  and  infallibility  of  judgment,  it  may  be  ra- 
tional to  leave  the  interests  of  men  at  their  mercy.  Here 
it  is  supposed  that  rulers  are  swayed  by  all  the  vulgar  pas- 
sions of  humanity  ;  care  is  therefore  taken  to  bridle  them, 
or  rather  it  is  contrived,  that  they  shall  be  made  to  work 
for  the  advantage  instead  of  the  mischief  of  the  commu- 
nity. If  a  man  be  ambitious,  he  can  only  rise  to  import- 
ance by  advocating  the  interests  of  others  ;  the  moment 
that  he  ostensibly  opposes  his  own  to  those  of  his  fellow 
citizens,  he  must  throw  up  the  game. 

It  is  not  very  apparent  that  public  virtue  is  peculiarly 
requisite  for  the  preservation  of  political  equality ;  envy 
might  suffice  for  this  ;  You  shall  not  be  greater  than  I. 
Political  equality  is,  perhaps,  yet  more  indispensable  to 
preserve  public  virtue,  than  public  virtue  to  preserve  it ; 

that  he  should  be  unworthy  of  the  distinguished  office  he  held,  and  of  the 
public  confidence  which  he  had  for  so  many  years  enjoyed,  if  he  could  apo- 
logize for  having  voted  according  to  the  decision  of  his  judgment;  that  his 
fellow  citizens  were  perfectly  right  to  transfer  their  voices  to  the  man  who 
might  more  thoroughly  agree  with  them  in  sentiment  than  in  this  case  he  had 
done  ;  that  for  himself,  he  could  only  promise  to  consider  every  question 
attentively  and  candidly,  to  weigh  duly  the  wishes  of  his  constituents,  but 
never  to  vote  in  decided  opposition  to  his  own  opinion.  His  fellow  citizens 
received  his  declaration  with  applause,  and,  as  his  whole  political  life  had  been 
in  unison  with  their  sentiments,  they  took  this  one  instance  of  dissent  as  art 
additional  proof  of  his  integrity,  and  unanimously  re-elected  him. 

36 


266  NATIONAL  GOVERNMEiVi. 

wherever  an  exclusive  principle  is  admitted,  baleful  pas- 
sions are  excited  ;  divide  a  community  into  classes,  and 
insolence  is  entailed  upon  the  higher,  servility  or  envy, 
and  often  both  united,  upon  the  lower. 

In  all  other  republics,  ancient  or  modern,  there  has 
been  a  leaven  of  aristocracy.  America  fortunately  had, 
in  her  first  youth,  virtue  sufficient  to  repel  the  introduc- 
tion of  hereditary  honours.  This  was  virtue  as  well 
as  knowledge,  when  she  had  to  resist  not  only  the  exam- 
ple of  all  the  nations  of  the  earth,  but  the  persuasions, 
and  even  the  authority  of  her  acknowledged  sovereigns. 
Had  she  received  this  taint  in  her  infancy,  it  is  probable 
that  no  subsequent  exertions  could  have  wiped  it  away  ; 
her  republics  would  at  this  moment  have  been  provinces 
of  the  British  empire,  or  if  not  this,  her  citizens  would 
have  been  caballing  among  themselves  like  the  patricians 
and  plebeians  of  ancient  Rome,  or  those  of  more  modern 
Florence.* 

"  Le  gravi  e  naturali  inimizie  che  sono  tra  gli'  uomini 
popolari  e  nobili,  causate  dal  voler  questi  comandare,  e 
quelli  non  ubbidire,  sono  cagioni  di  tutti  i  mali  che  nasco- 
no  nelle  citta."  If  the  disturbances  of  the  Florentine  re- 
public warranted  this  assertion  of  its  pliilosophic  historian, 
the  peace  of  the  American  republic  tends  to  confirm  it. 
Liberty  is  here  secure,  because  it  is  equally  the  portion  of 
all.  The  state  is  liable  to  no  convulsions,  because  there 
is  nowhere  any  usurpations  to  maintain,  while  every  in- 
dividual has  an  equal  sovereignty  to  lose.f  No  king  will 

*  The  Stuart  kings  were  peculiarly  anxious  to  break  down  the  democratic 
spirit  of  New-England,  by  the  creation  of  a  nobility  ;  temptations  were  held 
out  to  the  wealthier  proprietors  by  the  royal  governors,  to  assume  to  them- 
selves the  style  of  Barons.  The  grants  of  land  *n  tail  male,  frequent  in  the 
southern  colonies,  and  in  New-York,  had  probably  the  same  end  in  view. 
These  hereditary  proprietors  were  the  Tories  of  the  revolution  ;  among 
them,  of  course,  there  were  signal  and  magnanimous  exceptions. 

t  A  grievous  exception  to  this  rule  is  found  in  the  black  slavery  of  the  com- 
monwealths of  the  south.     May  the  wisdom  of  the  masters  preserve  them 


NATIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  267 

, 

voluntarily  lay  down  his  sceptre,  and  in  a  democracy  all 
men  are  kings. 

It  is  singular  to,  look  round  upon  a  country  where  the 
dreams  of  sages,  smiled  at  as  Utopian,  seem  distinctly 
realized  ;  a  people  voluntarily  submitting  to  laws  of  their 
own  imposing,  with  arms  in  their  hands  respecting  the 
voice  of  a  government  which  their  breath  created,  and 
which  their  breath  could  in  a  moment  destroy !  There  is 
something  truly  grand  in  this  moral  restraint,  freely  im- 
posed by  a  community  on  itself. 

I  do  not  wonder  that  Europeans  refuse  credence  to  those 
who  report  truly  of  the  condition  of  these  commonwealths. 
That  a  nation  of  independent  sovereigns  should  be  a  na- 
tion of  all  others  the  most  orderly,  and  the  most  united, 
may  well  pass  the  understandings  of  men  accustomed  to 
the  rule  of  the  sword.  It  may  be  questioned,  whether 
the  institutions  of  America  could  with  propriety  be  trans- 
planted to  Europe.  The  attempt  failed  in  France,  and 
the  same  causes  may  produce  the  same  failure  elsewhere ; 
but  surely  it  is  proposed  to  force  the  same  attempt  else- 
where. I  laid  down  my  pen  to  look  through  a  file  of  Lon- 
don papers.  I  need  not  say  with  what  feelings  I  threw 
them  aside,  when  I  state  that  their  columns  record  the 
history  of  the  sixteenth  of  August.  The  English  peo- 
ple trampled  and  cut  down  by  a  soldiery !  Saville,  Whit- 
bread,  and  Romilly,  are  well  in  their  graves. 

Back  a  government  with  an  army,  and  the  liberties  left 
with  a  people  are  no  longer  held  of  right,  but  held  as  a 
matter  of  grace  and  favour.  Here  this  is  not  only  under- 
stood in  theory,  but  in  practice.  The  people  keep  the 
sword  in  their  own  hands,  and  leave  their  rulers  without 

from  that  "  revolution  of  the  wheel  of  fortune"  contemplated  by  their  vene- 
rable philanthropist  Mr.  Jefferson,  as  "  among  possible  events,"  or  "  proba- 
ble by  supernatural  interference  !"  The  heart  of  the  by-stander  will  ac- 
knowledge with  him,  that  "  the  Almighty  has  no  attribute  that  can  take  side 
with  them  in  such  a  contest." 


268  ARTICLES  OP 'CONFEDERATION. 

any ;  they  are  thus  the  guardians  of  their  own  rights,  and 
the  enforcers  of  their  own  laws.* 

I  suppose  you  tolerably  familiar  with  the  constitution 
of  the  United  States,  and  *  *  *  *  also,  though  he  seems 
somewhat  to  miscalculate  the  strength  of  the  bond  it  im- 
poses upon  the  Union.  The  Articles  of  Confederation, 
hastily  adopted  at  the  revolution,  did  in  truth  only  act 
upon  the  States,  not  upon  individuals.  Under  those,  the 
general  congress  (which  then  consisted  of  only  one  house) 
could  neither  raise  men  nor  levy  taxes  but  through  the 
medium  of  the  legislatures  of  the  different  republics.  The 
people  of  each  state  regulated  their  trade  by  their  own 
government  instead  of  that  of  the  united  confederacy ;  col- 
lected their  quota  of  the  army  or  the  revenue  in  what- 
ever manner  they  thought  proper,  and  pronounced  even 
upon  the  propriety  of  the  quota  demanded.  This  was 
productive  of  much  confusion  in  time  of  war,  and  yet  more 
in  time  of  peace.  When  the  Federal  Constitutmi  super- 
seded these  articles,  the  people  parted  with  no  new 
powers,  but  transferred  some  of  those,  before  delegated  to 
their  representatives  in  their  own  houses  of  assembly,  to 
their  representatives  in  the  general  congress. 

The  general  government  was  now  without  appeal,  and 
was  exercised,  not  upon  the  legislatures  of  the  different 
states,  but  upon  the  people  themselves,  who  were  then 
first  gathered  into  one  great  family,  legislating  in  congress 
without  regard  to  their  sectional  position,  at  the  same  time 
that  the  landmarks  of  their  different  republics  remained 

*  There  was  once  (I  do  not  recollect  the  time)  an  attempt  of  the  felons  in 
the  Philadelphia  gaol  to  break  prison.  They  had  succeeded  in  gaining  the 
outer  court  before  the  alarm  was  given.  The  citizens  of  the  neighbourhood 
seized  their  muskets,  and  ran  to  the  spot ;  some  dexterously  gamed  the  top 
of  the  wall,  surrounding  the  court  in  which  the  conspirators  were  at  war  with 
their  gaolers  and  their  prison  gates.  The  muskets  pointed  at  their  lives,  of 
course  the  first  summons  produced  order,  and  sent  back  the  obstreperous  con- 
victs to  their  cells.  Are  not  such  citizens  as  good  keepers  of  the  peace  as  a 
troop  of  horse  ? 


ARTICLES  OF   CONFEDERATION.  269 

mimoved.  The  central  or  national  government  regulates 
commerce,  imposes  and  levies  taxes,  coins  money,  esta- 
blishes post-offices,  and  post-roads,  declares  war,  may 
raise  armies,  maintain  a  navy,  Call  forth  the  militia,  direct 
its  discipline,  and  exercise  authority  over  it  when  called 
into  the  service  of  the  United  States.  Its  powers  in  short 
extend  to  all  matters  connected  with  the  common  de- 
fence and  general  welfare  of  the  confederacy ;  and  these 
powers  being  clearly  denned,  it  may  make  laws  necessary 
and  proper  for  rendering  them  effective.  For  the  just  ad- 
ministration of  these  powers,  it  is  directly  responsible  to 
the  people,  so  that  while  it  is  incalculably  stronger  than  it 
was  formerly,  it  may  be  said  in  some  ways  also  to  be 
weaker.  The  articles  of  confederation  seemed  to  leave  a 
possibility  to  the  government  assembled  under  them,  of 
exerting  undue  influence  over  the  nation  through  the  le- 
gislatures of  the  different  states.  It  is  now  possessed 
singly  of  direct  power ;  to  exert  influence  is  impracti- 
cable. 

The  two  houses  of  legislature  in  which  these  great 
powers  are  vested,  represent,  in  one,  the  population  of  the 
whole  Union ;  in  the  other,  the  different  republics  into 
which  the  Union  is  divided.  Perhaps  the  hall  of  the  re- 
presentatives may  be  said  to  speak  the  feelings  of  the  na- 
tion, and  the  senate  to  balance  the  local  interests  of  the 
different  sections  of  its  vast  territory ;  a  member  in  the 
former  house  represents  forty  thousand  souls,  two  members 
in  the  latter  represent  a  state,  whatever  be  its  size  or 
population ;  it  follows  therefore,  that  no  law  can  be  enact- 
ed without  a  majority  of  the  states,  as  well  as  of  the  peo- 
ple, which  must  always  secure  a  very  large  majority  of 
the  nation  to  every  measure.  In  a  country  where  the 
people  govern  themselves,  this  is  highly  important. 

But  this  representation  of  the  people  by  their  local  po- 
sition-as well  as  their  number,  has  yet  other  salutary  effects. 
It  balances  duly  the  different  interests  into  which  all  civi- 


270  MODE  OF  REPRESENTATION. 

lized  communities  must  more  or  less  be  divided ;  but  which, 
in  a  territory  so  vast  as  that  of  America,  may  perhaps  be 
arranged  more  geographically,  if  I  may  use  the  expression, 
than  can  be  the  case  in  less  extensive  countries.  The 
western  states,  fast  growing  in  wealth  and  strength,  will 
soon  have  an  exclusive  and  powerful  interest  to  support 
in  agriculture  and  manufactures.  Should  the  sum  of 
their  population  outweigh  that  of  the  Atlantic  states,  the 
commercial  interest  might  be  overlooked  in  the  national 
assembly ;  and  at  present  the  population  of  these  states, 
exceeding  that  of  the  younger  section  of  the  Union,  its  in- 
terests might  be  forgotten,  so  as  to  generate  ill  will  in  those 
rising  republics.  The  mode  of  representation  adopted 
in  the  senate,  seems  to  obviate  this  danger ;  and  the  ad- 
vantage resulting  from  it  will  probably  be  more  and  more 
apparent,  according  as  the  inland  states  become  more 
and  more  vigorous. 

Perhaps  the  English  and  the  Anglo-Americans  are  the 
only  nations  who  know  how  to  draw  an  accurate  line  be- 
tween the  legislative,  executive,  and  judicial  departments 
of  government.  In  the  former,  the  distinctions  are  tho- 
roughly understood ;  in  the  latter,  perfectly  reduced  to 
practice.  In  England,  the  legislative  and  executive 
are  nominally  separate,  but  actually  conjoined,  when  a 
majority  of  the  house  of  legislature  is  within  purchase  of 
the  crown,  and  the  cabinet  ministers  have  a  direct  voice 
upon  every  question  in  debate.  Here,  not  only  is  the 
president  himself  positively  excluded  from  both  houses  of 
congress,  but  every  person  holding  an  office,  or  in  any 
manner  employed  under  the  authority  of  the  government.* 

*  The  president  of  the  United  States  is  never  seen  within  the  walls  of  the 
capitol,  except  on  theday  of  his  inauguration.  Should  he  ever  be  present  at  any 
debate,  it  could  only  be  as  a  citizen  among  the  audience  ;  but  even  this  would 
be  considered  an  impropriety,  and  of  course  never  occurs.  I  do  not  remem- 
ber to  have  been  questioned  by  any  individual,  since  my  return  to  England, 
upon  the  subject  of  the  American  constitution,  and  officers  of  government, 
who  has  not  confounded  the  president  of  the  United  States  with  the  president 


ELECTION  OF  THE  PRESIDENT.  271 

I  had  occasion  to  observe  in  a  former  letter,  that  this  dis- 
tinction between  the  different  departments  of  government 
is  equally  preserved  by  the  constitutions  of  the  state,  as 
by  that  of  the  United  States ;  "  to  the  end,"  as  it  is  ex- 
pressed in  the  Massachusetts'  declaration  of  rights,  "  that 
it  may  be  a  government  of  laws,  and  not  of  men." 

The  election  of  president  is  managed  with  some  inge- 
nuity, so  as  to  unite  the  two  modes  of  representation  found 
in  the  senate  and  the  representatives.  It  was  necessary 
to  guard,  first  against  the  too  great  influence  of  a  state 
more  populous  than  her  neighbours,  who  might  have  com- 
manded the  choice  of  the  chief  magistrate,  had  his  nomi- 
nation been  left  solely  to  the  mass  of  the  population  with- 
out regard  to  its  position ;  and  secondly,  against  a  junction 
of  states  more  peculiarly  united  by  interests,  or  near  neigh- 
bourhood ;  which  might  have  enabled  one  portion  of  the 
Union  to  command  an  equally  unfair  advantage,  were  the 
point  decided  by  the  vote  of  the  states.  How  far  the  union 
of  these  two  modes  of  representation  is  effected,  or  how 
far  it  is  possible  to  effect  it,  I  am  not  adequate  to]  judge.* 

The  powers  of  the  President  are  great,  but  are  always 
under  the  check  of  the  legislature.  He  appoints  ambas- 
sadors, consuls,  judges  of  the  supreme  court,  and  other  of- 
ficers of  the  United  States ;  but  this  only  with  the  appro- 

of  the  senate.  This  has  sometimes  recalled  to  me  the  mistake  of  a  well 
known  political  economist  in  London,  who  (as  I  was  told  in  Washing-ton,) 
once  addressed  a  letter,  apparently  intended  for  Mr.  Madison,  To  the  Presi- 
dent of  Congress.  I  understand  that  a  similar  error  is  to  be  found  in  a 
published  work  of  Mr.  Jeremy  Bentham. 

*  Some  amendments  in  the  presidential  elections  have  been  made  by  sub- 
sequent conventions  since  the  first  establishment  of  the  Federal  Constitution , 
but  directed  (I  believe  solely)  to  enforce  the  necessity  of  voting  distinctly  for 
a  vice-president  as  well  as  a  president.  The  inferior  office  fell  originally  to 
the  second  candidate  on  the  list.  Upon  one  occasion  the  votes  being  eqnal, 
it  was  thought  proper  to  avoid  all  confusion  in  future,  by  specifying  the  per- 
son voted  for  as  vice-president  from  the  person  voted  for  as  president. 

Some  more  important  amendments  have  lately  been  proposed,  and  I  be- 
lieve submitted  to  the  people. 


272  POWERS  OF  THE  PRESIDENT. 

bation  of  the  senate,  unless  both  houses  of  congress  shall 
see  good,  in  times  which  may  demand  peculiar  despatch 
and  decision,  to  vest  him  with  discretionary  power.  He 
can  make  treaties,  but  only  with  the  advice  and  concur- 
rence of  two-thirds  of  the  senate.  His  signature  renders 
valid  an  act  of  the  legislature ;  but,  if  refused,  a  majority 
of  two-thirds  of  both  Houses  gives  to  it  the  effect  of  a  law 
without  his  concurrence.  He  may  convene  the  congress 
during  its  adjournment,  upon  extraordinary  emergencies, 
but  cannot  disperse  it  any  time :  only,  should  the  two 
houses  dispute  as  to  the  time  of  adjournment,  he  is  the 
arbiter  between  them.  He  is  commander  in  chief  of  the 
army  and  navy,  and  of  the  militia,  when  called  into  the 
service  of  the  nation  by  law  of  congress ;  in  which  case 
the  authority  of  the  President  supersedes  that  of  the  go- 
vernors of  the  different  states,  who  are  commanders  in 
chief  of  their  militia. 

The  powers  lodged  with  the  President  have  been  by 
some  judged  too  great,  and  by  some  too  little ;  but  at  pre- 
sent, I  believe,  few  think  them  either  one  or  the  other.  A 
chief  magistrate,  whose  reign  is  only  for  four  years,  and 
who  stands  liable  to  impeachment  for  malversation,  might, 
perhaps,  be  trusted  with  the  gift  of  public  offices  held  only 
upon  good  behaviour,  without  much  risk  of  the  preroga- 
tive being  abused.  By  making  his  will,  however,  subser- 
vient to  a  branch  of  the  legislature,  a  double  security  is 
given  for  the  impartiality  of  appointments,  much  petty 
wrangling  for  public  offices  prevented,  and  the  President 
relieved  from  painful  responsibility. 

The  judicial  power  of  the  United  States  is  vested  in 
a  supreme  court  held  at  Washington.  This  court  of  law 
is,  perhaps,  not  the  least  beautiful  contrivance  in  the  sin- 
gular frame  of  this  government.  It  holds  together  the  links 
of  the  federal  union,  keeps  the  peace  between  republic 
and  republic,  and  again  between  all  these  different  com- 
ponent parts,  and  the  great  centre  to  which  they  are  all 


NATIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  273 

bound.  It  settles  all  controversies  between  the  different 
states,  or  between  the  citizens  of  one  state  and  the  go- 
vernment or  citizens  of  another;  also  all  controversies 
between  individuals  and  the  general  government,  and  be- 
tween the  citizens  of  the  United  States,  and  "foreign 
states,  citizens,  or  subjects."  In  fine,  its  powers  "  ex- 
tend to  all  cases  in  law  and  equity"  arising  under  the 
federal  constitution,  or  the  laws  passed  by  the  govern- 
ment acting  under  that  constitution ;  to  all  treaties  made 
by  the  national  government ;  "  to  all  cases  of  admiralty 
and  maritime  jurisdiction ;"  and  "  to  all  cases  affecting 
ambassadors,  other  public  ministers  and  consuls." 

We  find,  in  the  writings  and  speeches  of  some  of  the 
early  federal  statesmen,  frequent  parallels  drawn  between 
the  American  and  the  English  government.  The  paral- 
lels are  necessarily  very  loose.  What  the  one  is  in  prac- 
tice, the  other  is  partly  in  theory,  and  here  ends  the  com- 
parison. The  constitution  of  the  United  States,  is  formed 
upon  the  model  of  those  of  the  different  states  of  which 
the  United  States  is  composed,  but  furnishes  its  adminis- 
trators with  other  and  more  extended  powers ;  not  clash- 
ing with  or  superseding  those  exercised  by  the  state  go- 
vernments, but  directed  to  different  ends.  Like  the  mo- 
tions of  the  planetary  system,  each  republic  revolves  upon 
her  own  axis,  but  moves  in  unison  with  the  others ;  exert- 
ing her  own  centrifugal  force,  and  yielding  to  the  power 
which  holds  her  in  the  magic  circle  of  the  confederacy. 

The  singular  position  of  this  government  as  the  centre 
of  a  mass  of  republics,  strengthening  and  multiplying  every 
lustre  that  rolls  by,  gives  to  it  a  character  of  its  own,  and 
one  as  wonderful  as  it  is  grand.  I  cannot  speak  the  effect 
that  its  minute  consideration  produces  on  the  mind  :  it  is 
such  as  the  spectator  feels  when  he  contemplates  for  the 
first  time  a  steam-engine  of  the  great  Watt ;  its  powers, 
as  simple  as  they  are  sublime,  playing  evenly,  and  noise- 
lessly, and  irresistibly ;  and  then,  when  the  mind  is  startled 

37 


274  NATIONAL  GOVERNMENT. 

at  the  consideration  of  its  energy,  and  the  vast  world  which 
it  regulates  and  pervades,  comes  the  reflection,  that  the 
hand  of  the  workman  can  check  it  in  a  moment  of  time  ! 
I  must  again  direct  your  attention  to  that  feature  in 
American  government,  which  distinguishes  it  so  peculiar- 
ly from  that  of  all  other  countries :  it  can  neither  add  to 
nor  take  away  from  its  own  powers,  and  yet  it  can  always 
be  so  moulded  as  to  reflect  the  image  of  the  public  mind. 
In  Europe,  a  constitution  is  often  a  vague  word  :  one  says 
it  is  this ;  another  says  it  is  that ;  and  a  third  searches  for 
it,  and  declares  it  is  nowhere.  A  constitution  means  some- 
times ancient  customs;  sometimes  ancient  charters;  some- 
times the  acts  of  government  themselves,  framed  in  ac- 
cordance, or  in  open  contradiction  to  those  charters;  some- 
times it  means  things  as  they  are,  at  another  time  things 
as  they  were  :  eveiy  man  talks  of  it,  understands  it  in  his 
own  manner,  and  perhaps  can  explain  it  in  no  manner  at 
all.  Here  the  constitution  is  in  the  hands  of  all  the  peo- 
ple :  they  give  it  to  their  representatives,  and  say,  There 
is  your  guide  :  we  judge  of  its  fitness  to  direct  your  proceed- 
ings, as  we  do  of  your  ^fitness  to  legislate  by  it :  if  upon  trial 
you  conceive  it  to  be  defective,  state  your  objections,  and  we 
shall  decide  upon  their  reasonableness.  The  representative 
here  can  neither  alter  the  manner  of  his  election  nor 
enlarge  his  powers  when  elected.  The  people  do  not 
petition  for  rights,  but  bestow  authority  upon  their  rulers : 
experience  shows  how  much  authority  will  suffice ;  if 
more  than  sufficient  has  been  imparted,  the  overplus  is 
retracted ;  if  less  than  sufficient,  what  the  exigency  de- 
mands is  bestowed.  Proposals  for  alterations  or  additions 
to  the  constitution  originate  in  congress ;  a  vote  of  two- 
thirds  of  both  houses  being  requisite  for  the  same.  The 
amendments  thus  proposed  are  submitted  to  the  people, 
who,  if  they  approve,  summon  conventions  in  their  differ- 
ent states ;  the  assent  of  three-fourths  of  these  conventions 


NATIONAL  GOVERNMENT.  275 

then  carries  the  proposition,  and  affixes  it  as  a  new  article 
to  the  constitution. 

I  have,  at  your  request,  touched  upon  a  subject  much 
beyond  my  powers  to  do  justice  to.  The  most  ordinary 
mind  is  attracted  to  the  consideration  of  the  political  ma- 
chine that  is  here  in  play :  the  simplicity  and  sublimity  of 
its  movements  impress  it  solemnly  ;  it  reverts  with  admi- 
ration to  the  genius  that  conceived  it ;  and  considers  with 
delight  the  peace  that  it  secures,  and  the  happiness  that 
it  distributes. 


27  ti 


LETTER  XXI. 


V  1IARACTER  AND  INTERESTS  OF  THE  DIFFERENT  SECTION- 
OF  THE  CONFEDERACY,  AND  THEIR  INFLUENCE  ON  THE 
FLOOR  OF  CONGRESS. NEW-ENGLAND. FINAL  EXTINC- 
TION OF  THE  FEDERAL  PARTY. CENTRAL  STATES. — 

POLICY  AND  INFLUENCE  OF  VIRGINIA. WESTERN  STATES. 

—  POWERS   OF  CONGRESS  RESPECTING  BLACK  SLAVERY. 

FORMATION  AND  GOVERNMENT  OF  TERRITORIES. GENE- 
ROUS POLICY    OF   THE    WESTERN    STATES. CHARACTER 

OF    THE    FIRST    SETTLERS. SHEPHERDS   AND  HUNTERS 

OF    THE    BORDER. ANECDOTE  OF    LAFITTE. VARIOUS 

TIES  WHICH  CEMENT  THE  UNION  OF  THE  STATES. 

.New-York,  February,  1820. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

JL<OOKING  to  the  general  plan  of  the  central  government, 
it  will  be  seen  with  what  extreme  nicety  the  different  in- 
terests of  the  multitudinous  parts  of  this  great  confede- 
racy are  balanced,  or  employed  as  checks  one  upon 
the  other.  In  the  course  of  years  these  interests  may  be 
somewhat  more  distinctly  marked  than  they  are  at  pre- 
sent; some  have  even  thought  that  they  may  be  more 
strongly  opposed.  This  appears  more  than  doubtful :  but 
even  admitting  the  supposition,  we  cannot  calculate  the 
probable  effects  of  this  without  counting  for  something  the 
gradual  strengthening  of  the  national  union  by  the  mix- 
ture of  the  people,  the  marriages  and  friendships  con- 
tracted between  the  inhabitants  of  the  different  states,  the 


CHARACTER  OF  THE  CONFEDERACY.  277 

tide  of  emigration,  which  shifts  the  population  of  one  to 
the  other,  the  course  of  prosperity  enjoyed  under  a  go- 
vernment more  and  more  endeared  as  time  more  and  more 
tries  its  wisdom,  and  imparts  sanctity  to  its  name.  The 
time  was,  when  none,  or  but  few  of  these  sacred  bonds 
existed,  and  still  a  friendly  sympathy  was  not  wanting 
among  the  different  and  uncemented  communities  scat- 
tered along  the  shores  of  the  Atlantic. 

During  their  colonial  existence,  the  inhabitants  of  these 
states  had  but  little  intercourse  with  each  other.  Vast 
forests  separated  often  the  scanty  population  of  the  infant 
provinces.  Varying  climate  and  religion  influenced  also 
their  customs  and  character ;  but  still,  however,  parted  by 
trackless  wastes,  how  little  connected  soever  by  the  ties 
of  private  friendship,  they  had  always  two  things  in  com- 
mon, —  language,  and  a  fierce  spirit  of  liberty ;  which 
sufficed  to  bind  with  a  sure  though  invisible  chain  all  the 
members  of  the  scattered  American  family.  The  strength 
of  this  chain  has  seldom  been  fully  appreciated  by  the 
enemies  of  America :  they  expected  to  break  it  even  du- 
ring the  war  of  the  Revolution ;  and  were  certain  that  it 
would  of  itself  give  way  when  the  high-toned  sentiment  kept 
alive  by  a  struggle  for  independence  should  subside,  or 
when  the  pressure  of  common  danger  being  removed,  the 
necessity  of  cordial  co-operation  should  not  be  equally  ap- 
parent :  experience  has  hitherto  happily  disproved  these 
calculations.  The  advantages  of  a  vigorous,  and  the 
blessings  of  a  beneficent  government,  directing  the  ener- 
gies and  presiding  over  the  welfare  of  the  great  whole, 
has  been  more  and  more  felt  and  understood,  while  the 
influence  of  just  laws,  and  still  more  the  improved  inter- 
course of  the  states  one.  with  another,  have  broken  down 
prejudices,  and,  in  a  great  measure,  obliterated  distinc- 
tions of  character  among  the  different  quarters  of  the  re- 
public. 

The  portion  of  the  Union  that  has  most  generally  pre- 


278  NEW-ENGLAND. 

served  her  ancient  moral  distinction  is  New-England. 
The  reason  may  be  found  in  the  rigidity  of  her  early  re- 
ligious creed,  and  in  the  greater  separation  of  her  people 
from  the  rest  of  the  nation.  Strictly  moral,  well  educated, 
industrious,  and  intelligent,  but  shrewd,  cautious,  and,  as 
their  neighbours  say,  at  least,  peculiarly  long-sighted  to 
their  interests,  the  citizens  of  New-England  are  the  Scotch 
of  America.  Like  them  they  are  inhabitants  of  a  com- 
paratively  poor  country,  and  send  forth  legions  of  hardy 
adventurers  to  push  their  fortunes  in  richer  climes  :  there 
is  this  difference,  however,  that  the  Scotchman  traverses 
the  world,  and  gathers  stores  to  spend  them  afterwards 
in  his  own  barren  hills,  while  the  New-Englander  carries 
his  penates  with  him,  and  plants  a  colony  on  the  shores 
of  the  Ohio,  with  no  less  satisfaction  than  he  would  have 
done  on  those  of  the  Connecticut. 

The  nursery  of  back-woodsmen,  New-England,  sends 
forth  thousands,  and  of  course  takes  in  few,  so  that  her 
citizens  are  less  exposed  to  the  visitation  of  foreigners, 
and  even  to  mixture  with  the  people  of  other  states,  than 
is  usual  with  their  more  southern  neighbours.  This  has, 
perhaps,  its  advantages  and  disadvantages :  it  preserves 
to  them  all  the  virtues  of  a  simple  state  of  society,  but 
with  these  also  some  of  its  prejudices :  it  serves  to  en- 
trench them  against  luxury,  but  imparts  to  them  some- 
thing of  a  provincial  character.  Zealously  attached  to 
their  own  institutions,  they  have  sometimes  coldly  es- 
poused those  of  the  nation.  The  federal  opposition  chief- 
ly proceeded  from  this  quarter  of  the  Union. 

The  political  conduct  of  New-England  subsequent  to 
the  establishment  of  the  federal  government  sunk  her  a 
'little  for  some  years  in  the  esteem  of  the  nation.  The 
narrowness  of  her  policy  was  charged  to  some  peculiar 
selfishness  of  character  in  her  people ;  but  their  conduct 
during  the  revolutionary  struggle  redeems  them  from  this 
charge,  and  leads  us  to  ascribe  their  errors  to  defect  of 


NEW-YORK  AND  PENNSYLVANIA.  279 

judgment  rather  than  to  obliquity  of  principle.  Since  the 
war  the  liberal  party,  ever  numerous,  has  gained  the  as- 
cendant; and  consequently  the  eastern  states  are  re- 
suming that  place  in  the  national  councils  which  they 
originally  held.  It  is  difficult  now  to  find  a  Federalist, 
absolutely  so  called.  A  certain  soreness  upon  some  po- 
litical topics,  a  coldness  of  manner  in  pronouncing  the 
name  of  Jefferson,  and,  I  have  observed,  of  Franklin,  is 
what  may  sometimes  enable  you  to  detect  a  ci-devant' 
member  of  the  fallen  party.* 

New- York  and  Pennsylvania  may  perhaps  be  consi- 
dered as  the  most  influential  states  of  the  Union.  The 
elegant  expression  lately  employed  by  Mr.  Clay,  in  ren- 
dering his  tribute  to  the  important  services  of  the  latter, 
may  with  propriety  be  applied  to  both.  They  are  "  the 
key-stones  of  the  federal  arch."  Their  rich  and  extensive 
territories  seem  to  comprise  all  the  interests  into  which 
the  Union  is  divided.  Commerce,  agriculture  and  manu- 
factures, are  all  powerfully  represented  by  them  on  the 
floor  of  congress.  Their  western  division  has  much  in 
common  with  the  Mississippi  states,  and  their  eastern 
with  those  of  the  Atlantic.  Their  population  stands  con- 
spicuous for  national  enterprise  and  enlightened  policy, 
whether  as  regards  the  internal  arrangement  of  their  own 
republics,  or  their  share  in  the  federal  councils.  These 
powerful  states  return  no  less  than  fifty  members  to  con- 
gress, being  more  than  a  fourth  of  the  whole  body.f  In 

*  The  secret  hostility  borne  by  some  of  the  federal  party  towards  the  de- 
parted Franklin  is  rather  amusing.  This  benign  sage,  whose  last  efforts 
were  spent  in  fixing  the  wheels  of  the  federal  government,  and  who  sunk  be- 
neath thr:  weight  of  years  and  honours  before  the  struggle  of  the  two  parties 
commenced,  might  be  supposed  to  have  had  it  little  in  his  power  to  give  um- 
brage to  either.  The  reverence  in  which  his  name  was  ever  held  by  the  de- 
mocratic party,  who  were  the  children  of  his  school,  explains  the  enigma. 

t  There  are  at  present  in  the  hall  of  representatives  195  members,  and 
three  or  four  delegates.  The  delegates  are  sent  by  territories,  and  have  no 
vote. 


280  NEW-YORK  AND  PENNSYLVANIA. 

proportion  as  the  western  states  increase,  this  preponder- 
ance will  be  taken  from  them  ;  in  the  mean  time,  how- 
ever, it  is  in  no  case  exerted  to  the  prejudice  of  the  gene- 
ral interests  of  the  Union. 

Whether  it  be  from  their  wealth,  or  their  more  central 
position,  affording  them  the  advantage  of  a  free  inter- 
course with  the  citizens  of  all  the  states  of  the  Union,  as 
well  as  foreigners  from  all  parts  of  the  world,  the  people 
of  Pennsylvania  and  New- York,  but  more  particularly  of 
the  latter,  have  acquired  a  liberality  of  sentiment  which 
imparts  dignity  to  their  public  measures.  They  raise  ex- 
tensive funds,  not  only  for  the  general  education  of  their 
citizens,  (which  is  equally  the  case  elsewhere,)  the  found- 
ing of  libraries,  and  seminaries  of  learning,  but  in  the 
clearing  of  rivers,  making  roads  and  canals,  and  promo- 
ting other  works  of  extensive  utility,  which  might  do  ho- 
nour to  the  richest  empires  of  Europe.  The  progress  of 
the  New- York  state  during  the  last  thirty  years  is  truly 
astonishing.  Within  this  period,  her  population  has  more 
than  quadrupled,  and  the  value  of  property  more  than 
doubled  :  she  has  subdued  the  forest  from  Hudson  to  Erie 
and  the  Canadian  frontier,  and  is  now  perfecting  the  na- 
vigation of  all  her  great  waters,  and  connecting  them  with 
each  other. 

The  national  revenue  being  chiefly  drawn  from  the 
customs,  is  greatly  dependent  upon  the  commercial  spirit 
of  New- York.  Her  great  seaport  has  sometimes  fur- 
nished one-fourth  of  the  revenue  of  the  United  States. 
The  late  war  of  necessity  fell  very  heavily  upon  her  ma- 
ritime capital.  But  while  her  commerce  was  ruined,  she 
showed  no  disposition  to  injure  the  common  cause  by  se- 
parating her  interests  from  those  of  the  confederacy. 
Her  opposition  in  Congress  was  greatly  in  the  minority  to 
her  national  support ;  and,  war  being  once  declared,  the 
opposition  passed  over  to  the  side  of  the  majority.  The 
conduct  of  Mr.  Rufus  King,  the  venerable  leader  of  the 


VIRGINIA.  281 

federal  party  in  the  senate,  is  worthy  of  being  recorded 
in  the  annals  of  his  country.  He  had  opposed  the  de- 
claration of  war  simply  from  an  apprehension  that  the-re- 
public  was  unequal  to  cope  with  her  adversary  ;  but  find- 
ing her  determined  to  brave  all  hazards  rather  than  sub- 
mit to  degradation,  he  instantly  seceded  from  his  parly, 
pronouncing  it  to  be  the  duty  of  every  patriot  to  assist  his 
country  vyith  heart  and  hand  in  weathering  the  storm,  and 
volunteered  to  throw  into  the  treasury  a  part  of  his  pri- 
vate fortune,  which  he  stated  to  be  greater  than  his  ne- 
cessities.* 

No  state  in  the  Union  can  point  to  a  longer  line  of  pub- 
lic services  than  Virginia :  she  wrung  the  first  alarum  of 
the  Revolution  by  the  mouth  of  her  Patrick  Henry  ;  she 
led  the  army  of  patriots  in  the  person  of  her  Washington ; 
she  issued  the  declaration  of  independence,  from  the  pen 
of  her  Jefferson ;  she  bound  the  first  link  of  the  federal 
union  by  the  hand  of  her  Madison;  —  she  has  given  to 
the  republic  four  of  the  purest  patriots  and  wisest  states- 
men that  ever  steered  the  vessel  of  a  state. 

The  policy  of  this  mother  of  the  Union  has  always  been 
peculiarly  magnanimous.  She  set  the  example  to  her 
sister  states  in  those  cessions  of  territory  which  have  so 
richly  endowed  the  general  government,  and  out  of  which 
have  arisen  such  a  host  of  young  republics.  The  cession 
made  by  Virginia  comprises  the  present  states  of  Ohio,  In- 
diana, and  Illinois,  with  the  territory  of  Michigan.  For 
the  thousandth  part  of  such  an  empire  as  was  here  be- 
stowed in  free  gift,  men  have  deluged  the  earth  with  blood. 
We  find  the  liberality  of  Virginia  yet  farther  evinced  in 
her  conduct  towards,  a  neighbouring  state,  first  peopled  by 

*  I  had  this  anecdote  from  a  senator  of  congress ;  one,  too,  I  must  observe : 
usually  opposed  to  Mr.  King  in  politics,  who  is  still  ranked  among  the  least 
democratic  party  in  the  senate.  Such  a  patriot  is  a  true  relic  of  the  veteran 
federal  band  of  the  Revolution,  aud  may  well  command  the  respect  of  <no=-r 
who  differ,  as  well  as  of  those  who  agree  with  him  m  opinion 


2ii2  VIKGJMA. 

her  citizens,  and  subject  to  lier  laws.  The  manner  in  which 
she  released  Kentucky  from  her  jurisdiction,  pointing  out 
the  inconveniences  arising  to  her  people  from  their  re- 
moteness from  the  Virginia  capital,  and  encouraging  her 
to  erect  an  independent  government,  affords  a  beautiful 
example  of  national  generosity. 

The  public  spirit  of  Virginia  has  invariably  been  felt  in 
the  national  counrils,  and  consequently  has  procured  to 
her  a  weight  of  influence  more  than  proportionate  to  the 
numerical  strength  of  her  representation  in  congress. 
There  has  latterly  been  a  partial  hue  and  cry  in  the  north- 
ern division  of  the  Union,  on  the  subject  of  the  Virginia 
influence.  I  can  only  say,  in  the  words  of  a  Vermont 
farmer,  who  accidentally  closed  in  conversation  with  me 
upon  affairs  of  state,  "  Whatever  be  the  influence  of  Vir- 
ginia, she  seems  to  use  it  well,  for  we  surely  go  on  very 
thrivingly ;  besides  that,  I  see  no  way  in  which  she  could 
exercise  it  but  by  coinciding  with  the  feelings  of  the  ma- 
jority." The  words  Virginia  influence,  you  will  perceive 
to  mean  (so  far  as  they  mean  any  thing)  the  accident 
which  has  drawn  from  her  commonwealth  four  out  of  the 
five  presidents  who  have  guided  the  councils  of  federal 
America.* 

I  know  nothing  which  places  the  national  character  in 
a  fairer  point  of  view  than  the  issue  of  the  presidential 
elections.  We  find  local  prejudices  and  even  party  feel- 
ings laicr aside,  and  the  people  of  this  multitude  of  com- 
monwealths fixing  their  eyes  on  the  most  distinguished 
servant  of  the  state,  and  rendering  the  noblest  tribute  to 
his  virtues  that  a  patriot  can  receive,  or  a  country  can  be- 
stow. All  the  chief  magistrates  of  trje  republic  have  been 
veterans  of  the  Revolution,  and  distinguished  no  less  for 
their  private  virtues  than  their  public  services.  It  was 
thought  that,  as  Virginia  had  already  given  three  presi- 

*  The  late  unanimous  re-election  of  Colonel  Monroe  proves  that  the  good 
farmer  of  Vermont,  qdoted  in  the  text,  spoke  the  sentiments  of  his  nation. 


VIRGINIA.  283 

dents  to  the  republic,  a  strong  opposition  would  have 
been  made  to  Colonel  Monroe.  So  far  from  this  being 
the  case,  no  president  (Washington  excepted)  was  ever 
more  unanimously  chosen  ;  and  his  name  is  spoken  witji 
respect,  and  even  affection,  from  Maine  to  Missouri. 

The  dignified  position  taken  by  Virginia  in  the  national 
councils,  has  placed  her  at  the  head  of  the  republics  of  the 
south  ;  whose  policy,  it  may  be  remarked,  has  uniformly 
been  liberal  and  patriotic ;  and,  on  all  essential  points,  in 
accordance  with  that  of  the  central  and  western  states. 
Whatever  be  the  effect  of  black  slavery  upon  the  moral 
character  of  the  southern  population,  and  that  upon  the 
mass  it  must  be  deadly  mischievous  there  can  be  no  ques- 
tion, it  has  never  been  felt  in  the  national  senate.  Per- 
haps the  arrangement  has  been  prudent,  or  at  least  fortu- 
nate, which  has  somewhat  tempered  the  democracy  of 
American  government  in  the  south  Atlantic  states.  By 
the  existing  constitution  of  Virginia,  and  the  states  south 
of  her,  the  qualifications  required  of  a  representative  throw 
the  legislative  power  into  the  hands  of  the  more  wealthy 
planters :  a  race  of  men  no  less  distinguished  for  the  polish 
of  their  manners  and  education  than  for  liberal  sentiments 
and  general  philanthropy.  They  are  usually  well  travel- 
led in  their  own  country  and  in  Europe,  possess  enough 
wealth  to  be  hospitable,  and  seldom  sufficient  to  be  luxu- 
rious, and  are  thus,  by  education  and  condition,  raised 
above  the  degrading  influence  which  the  possession  of  ar- 
bitrary power  has  on  the  human  mind  and  the  human 
heart.  To  the  slight  leaven  of  aristocracy,  therefore, 
thrown  into  the  institutions  of  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas, 
we  may,  perhaps,  attribute,  in  part,  their  generous  and 
amiable  bearing  in  the  national  councils ;  we  must  not 
omit,  however,  the  meliorating  effect  produced  by  the 
spread  of  education,  and  the  effect  of  liberal  institutions 
on  the  white  population  generally.  Even  before  the  close 
of  the  revolutionary  war,  Mr.  Jefferson  thought  "  a 


284  WESTERN   TERRITORY. 

already  perceptible ;"  and  we  have  a  substantial  proof  that: 
the  change  traced  by  that  philosopher  in  the  character  ot 
his  fellow  citizens  was  not  imaginary,  the  first  act  of  the 
Virginia  legislature  being  the  abolition  of  the  slave-trade. 
May  she  now  set  an  example  to  her  neighbouring  states, 
as  she  then  did  to  the  world,  by  combatting  steadfastly 
the  difficulties  which  her  own  fears  or  selfish  interests  may 
throw  in  the  way  of  emancipation! 

But  the  quarter  of  the  republic  to  which  the  eye  of  a 
stranger  turns  with  most  curiosity,  is  the  vast  region  to 
the  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  The  character  of  these  re- 
publics is  necessarily  as  unique  as  their  position,  and  their 
influence  is  already  powerful  upon  the  floor  of  congress. 

In  glancing  at  their  geographical  position,  the  foreigner 
might  hastily  be  led  to  consider  them  as  growing  rivals 
rather  than  friendly  supporters  of  the  Atlantic  states.  It 
will  be  found,  however,  that  they  are  at  present  powerful 
cementers  of  the  union,  and  that  the  feelings  and  interests 
are  such  as  to  draw  together  the  north  and  south  divisions 
of  the  confederacy. 

The  new  canals  will  probably  draw  oft"  the  produce  of 
the  western  counties  of  New- York  to  the  Atlantic ;  still, 
however,  a  portion  will  find  its  way  down  the  western  wa- 
ters, as  their  navigation  shall  be  perfected  from  Erie  to 
New-Orleans.  At  all  events,  this  route  will  continue  to 
be  preferred  by  the  western  counties  of  Pennsylvania, 
shortly  destined  to  be  the  seat,  if  they  are  not  so  already, 
of  flourishing  manufactures.  The  advance  made  in  this 
branch  of  industry,  during  the  last  war,  and  for  some  years 
previously,  has  received  some  checks  since  the  peace,  but 
appears  likely  soon  to  proceed  with  redoubled  energy. 

It  may  be  worth  observing,  that  there  is  something  in 
the  character  of  the  American  population,  as  well  as  in 
the  diverse  products  of  the  soil,  which  seems  favourable 
to  the  growth  of  manufactures.  I  do  not  allude  merely 
to  their  mechanical  ingenuity,  which  has  shown  itself  in 


OHIO.  285 

so  many  important  inventions  and  improvements  in  ship- 
building, bridges,  steamboat  navigation,  implements  of 
husbandry  and  machinery  of  all  kinds,  but  to  that  proud 
feeling  of  independence,  which  disinclines  them  from 
many  species  of  labour  resorted  to  by  Europeans.  There 
are  some  farther  peculiarities  in  the  condition  and  charac- 
ter of  the  scattered  population  of  the  west,  which  render- 
ed the  birth  of  manufactures  simultaneous  with  that  of 
agriculture.  In  planting  himself  in  the  bosom  of  the  wil- 
derness, the  settler  is  often  entirely  dependant  upon  his 
own  industry  for  every  article  of  food  and  raiment.  While 
he  wields  the  axe,  and  turns  up  the  soil,  his  wife  plies  the 
needle  and  the  spinning-wheel,  and  his  children  draw  su- 
gar from  the  maple,  and  work  at  the  loom.  The  finery 
watered  state  of  Ohio  affords  so  easy  an  egress  for  its  in- 
ternal produce,  that  could  a  sore  market  have  been  found, 
it  seems  little  likely  that  it  would  have  attempted  for  many 
years  any  great  establishments  of  domestic  manufactures. 
But  the  policy  of  foreign  countries  threw  so  many  checks 
in  the  way  of  the  agriculturist,  and  so  completely  suspend- 
ed commerce,  that  the  new  stimulus  given  to  human  in- 
dustry was  felt  in  the  most  remote  corners  of  the  Union. 

The  instantaneous  effect  produced  by  the  commercial 
regulations  of  Europe,  it  seems  almost  impossible  to  cre- 
dit ;  cotton-mills  and  fulling-mills,  distilleries,  and  manu- 
factories of  every  description,  sprung,  as  it  were,  out  of  the 
earth ;  in  city,  town,  village,  and  even  on  the  forested 
shores  of  the  western  waters.  The  young  Ohio,  for  in- 
stance, which  had  existed  but  eight  years,  in  1811  poured 
down  the  western  waters  woollen,  flaxen,  and  cotton 
goods,  of  admirable  but  coarse  texture,  spiritous  liquors, 
sugars,  &,c.,  to  the  value  of  two  millions  of  dollars. 

The  wonderful  aptitude  of  the  Americans  for  labour  of 
every  species,  however  removed,  seemingly,  from  their 
accustomed  habits,  is  easily  explained,  if  we  consider, 
first,  the  mental  energy  inspired  by  their  free  institutions, 


and,  secondly,  their  general  and  practical  education.  An 
American  youth  is  usually  trained  to  hit  a  mark  with  the 
certainty  of  an  old  English  cross-bowman;  to  swim  with 
that  dexterity  which  procured  for  the  young  Franklin  in 
London  the  name  of  the  American  aquatic ;  to  handle  a 
musket  like  a  soldier,  the  mechanic's  tools  like  a  carpen- 
ter, the  husbandman's  like  a  farmer,  and,  not  very  unfre- 
quently,  the  needle  and  scissors  like  a  village  taylor.  1 
have  taken  Ohio  as  an  instance ;  but  the  people  of  the 
western  region  universally  were  in  the  habit  of  making  in 
their  own  families  the  cotton  and  woollen  garments  in 
which  they  were  clad.  This  prepared  them  for  that  new 
direction  of  national  industry  which  the  policy  of  foreign 
countries  rendered  indispensable. 

The  ports  being  again  thrown  open  by  the  peace,  many 
of  the  young  manufactures  began  to  decline ;  many,  how- 
••ver,  have  kept  their  place  from  their  intrinsic  excellence, 
(more  especially  the  coarse  cotton  and  woollen  fabrics,) 
in  spite  of  the  imprudent  trade  which  has  glutted  the  mar- 
ket witli  foreign  goods,  and  ended  by  ruining  half  the  for- 
tunes of  the  crcat  commercial  cities.  Things  seem  now 
to  be  finding  their  level ;  and  the  citizens  are  discovering 
that  mercantile  speculation  is  a  ruinous  game,  when  the 
raw  produce  of  the  country  is  not  taken  in  kind  for  the 
•wrought  fabrics  of  Europe  :  perhaps  Europe  may  find  this 
u  losing  game,  too ;  but  of  this  I  am  not  learned  enough 
to  speak. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  west  have  seen  with  peculiar 
Dissatisfaction  the  decay  of  their  manufacturing  establish- 
ments. It  is  not  only  that  they  have  been  driven  back 
upon  agriculture,  without  finding  a  sufficient  market  for 
their  produce ;  but  (what  you  may  perhaps  smile  at)  those 
simple  but  proud  republicans  are  by  no  means  pleased  to 
:ee  their  good  homespun  forsaken  by  their  daughters  for 
fhe  inuslin  and  silks  of  France  and  the  Indies.  Many 
make  positive  resistance  to  ?o  unbecoming  a  dereliction 


PITTSBURG.  287 

of  principle  and  good  taste,  and  hold  stanclily  to  the 
practice  of  clothing  every  member  of  their  family  in  arti- 
cles of  domestic  manufacture.  Many  gentlemen  of  pro- 
perty are  in  the  habit  of  making,  on  their  own  estates, 
every  single  article  of  clothing  and  household  furniture : 
young  women  of  cultivated  education,  and  elegant  accom- 
plishments, are  found  dressed  in  plain  cotton  garments : 
and  men  presiding  in  the  senate-house  of  their  country  in 
woollen  clothes,  woven  and  fashioned  by  the  hands  of 
their  own  domestics,  or  even  by  those  of  their  children. 

The  reviving  ascendency  of  the  manufacturing  over  the 
commercial  interest  creates  a  strong  community  of  feeling 
between  the  northern  and  western  sections  of  the  Union.* 
Pittsburg,  the  young  Manchester  of  the  United  States, 
must  always  have  the  character  of  a  western  city,  and 
its  maritime  port  be  New-Orleans.  Corinth  was  not 
more  truly  the  eye  of  Greece  than  is  Pittsburg  of  Ameri- 
ca. Pennsylvania,  in  which  it  stands,  uniting  perfectly 
the  characters  of  an  Atlantic  and  a  western  state,  is  truly 
(he  I- fy stone,  of  the  federal  arch.  But  if  the  new  states 
are  thus  linked  with  the  north,  they  have  also  some  feel- 
ings in  common  with  the  south,  and  thus,  drawing  two 
ways,  seem  to  consolidate  that  confederacy  which  Euro- 
peans have  sometimes  prophesied  they  would  break.  In  the 
first  place,  Kentucky  and  Tennessee,  the  oldest  members 
of  this  young  family,  have  not  only  been  peopled  from 
Virginia  and  the  Carolinas.  but  originally  made  part  of 
those  states.  Generously  released  from  their  jurisdiction, 
they  still  retain  a  marked  affection  for  their  parents ;  and 
have,  too,  a  community  of  evil  with  them,  as  well  as  of 
origin,  in  the  form  of  black  slavery.  It  is  not  unlikely, 
that  the  mixture  of  slaveholding  and  non-slaveholding 

*  The  author  some  weeks  subsequent  to  the  date  of  this  letter  heard  the 
whole  of  the  representation  of  New-York,  as  well  as  of  Pennsylvania  and 
Jersey,  advocate  upon  the  floor  of  congress  the  manufacturing  as  opposed 
to  the  trading  interest. 


288  POWERS  OF  CO.NGKEbs 

states  to  the  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  helps  to  balance  the 
interests  between  the  northern  and  southern  sections  of 
the  Union  on  the  floor  of  congress. 

I  must  here  refute  a  strange  assertion,  which  I  have 
seen  in  I  know  not  how  many  foreign  journals,  namely, 
that  the  United  States'  government  is  chargeable  with  the 
diffusion  of  black  slavery.*  Every  act  that  this  govern- 
ment has  ever  passed  regarding  it  has  tended  to  its  sup- 
pression; but  the  extent  and  nature  of  its  jurisdiction  are 
probably  misunderstood  by  those  who  charge  upon  it  the 
black  slavery  of  Kentucky  or  Louisiana ;  and  they  must 
be  ignorant  of  its  acts  who  omit  to  ascribe  to  it  the  merit 
of  having  saved  from  this  curse  every  republic  which  has 
grown  up  under  its  jurisdiction. 

When  first  torn  from  the  British  empire,  we  have  seen 
that  every  corner  of  the  then  peopled  America  was  smit- 
ten with  this  plague.  Now  not  one  half  is,  although  by 
the  acquisition  of  Louisiana  an  immense  foreign  addition 
has  been  made  to  the  evil.  It  was  not  until  the  adoption 
of  the  federal  constitution,  that  the  congress  possessed  any 
power  to  legislate  upon  ,the  subject  of  the  slave-trade. 

*  One  of  the  most  extravagant  blunders  of  this  kind  I  lately  found  in  M'Ken- 
sie's  History  of  America;  a  work  comprising  much  valuable  topographical  and 
statistical  information  upon  the  subject  of  the  United  States  ;  but  containing 
a  compilation  of  the  most  contradictory  and  positively  ludicrous  portraits 
of  their  moral  character  (to  those  at  least  who  have  any  personal  acquaint- 
ance with  it)  that  has  yet  come  under  my  eye.  Tlic  passage  I  allude  to  is 
the  following :  "  Negro  slavery  has  spread  its  baleful  effects  over  a  great 
part  of  the  Union.  Some  writers,  particularly  Englishmen,  who  would  wi-.li 
to  represent  the  states  as  a  second  Arcadia,  have  offered  an  apology  for  this 
detestable  practice,  by  contending,  that  it  formed  apart  of  the  policy  of  the 
colonial  system ',  but  this  excuse  does  not  apply  to  the  new  states;  for  the 
congress  has  resigned  the  inhabitants  of  these  vast  regions  to  its  demoralizing 
effects."  Now  were  this  all  that  stood  between  the  United  States  and  a 
second  Arcadia,  they  would  be  much  nearer  a  terrestrial  paradise  than  I  hail 
imagined.  Not  a  single  one  of  the  new  states  that  has  grown  op  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  congress  but  has  been  positively  and  absolutely  saved  by 
its  laws  from  slavery  in  any  shape  or  form  whatsoever.  It  would  save  some 
mistakes  if  authors  would  read  the  laws  of  foreign  countries  before  they  writo 
about  them. 


RELATIVE  TO  SLAVERY.  289 

The  abolition  laws  passed  before  that  period  were  passed 
by  the  states  in  their  individual  capacity,  and  could  not 
be  enforced  beyond  their  own  respective  territories.  The 
powers  vested  by  the  new  constitution  in  the  general 
government  enabled  it  to  enforce  the  cessation  of  the 
trade  throughout  the  Union,  but  gave  it  no  control  over  the 
domestic  slavery  wherever  existing.  The  emancipation 
already  effected  in  eight  of  the  thirteen  original  states  has 
been  effected  in  each  by  the  acts  of  its  own  legislature. 

There  are  at  present  twenty-two  republics  in  the  con- 
federacy ;  of  these,  twelve  have  been  rendered  free  to  black 
and  white ;  the  remaining  ten  continue  to  be  more  or  less 
defaced  by  negro  slavery.  Of  these  five  are  old  states, 
and  the  other  five  either  parted  from  these  or  formed  out 
of  the  acquired  territory  of  French  Louisiana.  Thus,  — 
Kentucky  was  raised  into  an  independent  state  by  mutual 
agreement  between  herself  and  Virginia,  of  which  she 
originally  formed  a  part.  Tennessee,  by  mutual  agree- 
ment between  herself  and  Carolina,  to  which  she  was 
originally  attached.  Mississippi  was  surrendered  to  the 
general  government  by  Georgia,  to  be  raised  when  old 
enough  into  an  independent  state  ;  but  with  a  stipulation 
that  to  the  citizens  of  Georgia  should  be  continued  the 
privilege  of  migrating  into  it  with  their  slaves.  Louisiana 
proper,  formed  out  of  a  small  portion  of  the  vast  territory 
ceded  under  that  name,  came  into  the  possession  of  the 
United  States  with  the  united  evils  of  black  slavery  in  its 
most  hideous  form,  and  the  slave-trade  prosecuted  with 
relentless  barbarity.  The  latter  crime  was  instantly  ar- 
rested •,  and,  under  the  improving  influence  of  mild  laws 
and  mental  instruction,  the  horrors  of  slavery  have  been 
greatly  alleviated.* 

*  Travellers  afflicted  with  the  anti-American  mania  are  fond  of  drawing 
their  port  rait  of  the  national  character  in  New-Orleans.  This  is  much  the  same 
us  if  we  should  draw  that  of  the  English  in  Guadalonpe  or  St.  Lucie.  Such 
tourists  may  now  have  an  opportunity  of  sketching  the  American  character 
among  the  Spaniards  of  Florida. 

39 


290  LAWS  OF  COXCiRES* 

In  all  these  cases  the  federal  government  has  been 
powerless  to  effect  the  eradication  of  slavery.  It  has, 
however,  been  all  powerful  to  prevent  its  introduction  in 
such  territories  as  have  been  placed  under  its  control. 

Ohio  was  the  first  state  formed  from  the  commence- 
ment upon  American  principles.  It  was  planted  by  the 
hand  of  congress,  in  the  vast  region  ceded  by  Virginia  to 
the  northwest  of  the  river  Ohio.  In  the  formation  of  a 
new  state  out  of  the  national  waste  lands,  its  government  is 
entrusted  to  the  congress  of  the  United  States,  who  mark 
its  boundaries,  nominate  its  public  officers  and  defray  the 
expenses  of  its  government,  until  its  population  amounts 
to  sixty  thousand  souls;  when  it  is  entitled  to  summon  a 
convention,  establish  its  own  constitution,  enter  upon  the 
administration  and  expenses  of  its  own  government,  and 
take  its  place  in  the  confederacy  as  an  independent  re- 
public.* 

In  1787,  the  congress  passed  an  act,  establishing  a 
temporary  government  for  the  infant  population  settled  on 
the  lands  of  Ohio  ;  and  the  government  then  established 

The  Missouri  question,  which  so  greatly  agitated  the  nation  and  the  senate 
last  winter,  turned  solely  upon  what  \vrrr  the  powers  of  congress  to  legislate 
for  the  territory  in  question.  Missouri  was  colonized  by  slave-holding  French 
when  the  territory  was  ceded  to  the  United  States  by  a  treaty  securing  to  the 
inhabitants  their  property,  including  slaves.  Emancipation,  therefore,  was 
not  within  the  power  of  congress.  The  question  was,  whether  it  possessed  the 
right  of  preventing  the  citizens  of  other  states  from  migrating  into  Missouri 
with  their  slat ts.  The  error  seems  to  have  been  the  having  omitted  to  pass 
this  prohibitory  law  before  the  period  when  Missouri  assumed  the  place  of  a 
state.  Congress,  after  months  of  anxious  deliberation,  came  to  a  compro- 
mise which  seemed  the  only  one  in  their  power.  A  law  was  passed  pre- 
venting the  possibility  of  the  formation  of  any  other  slave-holding  state  in 
the  French  Louisianian  territory,  and  the  slavery  of  Missouri  was  placed 
under  every  restriction,  which  the  previous  treaty  and  the  constitution  would 
permit. 

*  Several  territories  haw  passed  to  the  condition  of  states  before  they  com- 
prised the  population  demanded  by  law.  Illinois,  for  instance,  having  pre- 
ferred a  request  to  congress  that  she  might  be  permitted  to  assume  the  reins 
of  her  own  government,  was  allowed  to  join  the  confederacy  with  a  popula- 
tion of  less  than  40,000. 


RELATIVE  TO  SLAVERY.  291 

has  served  as  the  model  of  that  of  all  the  territories  that 
have  since  been  formed  in  the  vacant  wilderness.  The 
act  then  passed  contained  a  clause  which  operated  upon 
the  whole  national  territory  to  the  northwest  of  the  Ohio. 
By  this,  "  slavery  and  involuntary  servitude"  was  posi- 
tively excluded  from  this  region,  by  a  law  of  the  general 
government.  Ohio,  Indiana,  Illinois,  and  Michigan,  have 
already  sprung  up  in  the  bosom  of  this  desert ;  the  three 
first  independent  states,  and  the  latter  about  to  pass  from 
her  days  of  tutelage  to  assume  the  same  character. 

It  is  deserving  of  observation,  that  for  the  passing  of  this 
law  a  unanimous  vote  of  the  states  was  necessary,  ac- 
cording to  the  old  articles  of  confederation  then  in  force. 
By  a  unanimous  vote  it  was  passed ;  not  a  dissentient 
voice  being  raised  by  Virginia,  who  had  ceded  the  territo- 
ry in  question,  nor  by  the  other  states  of  the  south,  who 
thus  voluntarily  deprived  their  slave-holding  citizens  of  the 
right  of  migrating  into  it.* 

Thus  saved  from  the  disgraceful  and  ruinous  contagion 
of  African  servitude,  this  young  family  of  republics  have 
started  in  their  career  with  a  vigour  and  a  purity  of  cha- 
racter that  has  not  an  equal  in  the  history  of  the  world. 
Ohio,  which  twenty-five  years  since  was  a  vacant  wilder- 
ness, now  contains  half  a  million  «f  inhabitants,  and  returns 
six  representatives  to  the  national  congress.  In  the  other 
and  younger  members  of  the  western  family,  the  ratio  of 
increase  is  similar.  It  is  curious  to  consider,  that  the  ad- 

*  In  observing-  upon  the  policy  of  the  southern  states  generally,  it  would  be 
ungenerous  to  pass  without  notice,  that  their  representatives  in  congress  have 
been  among  the  most  strenuous  enforcers  of  the  last  penalties  of  the  law, 
against  those  convicted  of  the  surreptitious  introduction  of  slaves  into  the 
southern  ports.  The  close  neighbourhood  of  Cuba  and  the  Spanish  Floridas 
affords  great  facilities  for  this  atrocious  smuggling.  The  navy  of  the  United 
States  is  actively  employed  in  intercepting  this  stolen  traffic,  not  only  on  the 
American  but  the  African  coasts  :  and  agents  are  stationed  in  Africa  to  re- 
ceive the  stolen  negroes,  returned  in  the  safe  keeping  of  the  republic  to  their 
native  country.  In  all  these  measures,  the  members  from  the  south  have  not 
only  invariably  concurred,  but  some  of  the  most  important  have  originated 
with  thorn. 


292  GENEROUS  POLICY  OP  THE 

venturous  settler  is  yet  alive,  who  felled  the  first  tree  to 
the  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  The  log  hut  of  Daniel  Boon 
is  now  on  the  wild  shores  of  the  Missouri,  a  host  of  firmly 
established  republics  stretching  betwixt  him  and  the  ha- 
bitation of  his  boyhood. 

It  is  plain  that  in  the  course  of  a  few  generations,  the 
most  populous  and  powerful  division  of  the  American  fa- 
mily will  be  watered  by  the  Mississippi,  not  the  Atlantic. 
From  the  character  of  their  infancy  we  may  prophesy, 
that  the  growing  preponderance  of  the  western  republic - 
will  redound  to  the  national  honour,  and  will  draw  more 
closely  the  social  league,  which  binds  together  the  great 
American  family. 

Bred  up  under  the  eye,  and  fostered  by  the  care  of  the 
federal  government,  they  have  attached  themselves  to  the 
national  institutions  with  a  devotion  of  feeling  unknown 
in  the  older  parts  of  the  republic.  Their  patriotism  has 
all  the  ardour,  and  their-  policy  all  the  ingenuousness  of 
youth.  I  have  already  had  occasion  to  observe  upon  the 
enthusiasm  witli  which  they  asserted  the  liberties  and 
honour  of  their  country  during  the  last  war.  Their  spirit 
throughout  that  contest  was  truly  chivalrous.  The  anec- 
dotes recorded  not  only  of  the  valour,  but  of  the  romantic 
generosity  of  the  western  army  of  volunteers,  might  grace 
the  noblest  page  of  the  revolutionary  history.  Nor  have 
the  people  of  the  west  showH  themselves  less  generous  in 
the  senate  than  the  field.  In  the  hall  of  the  representa- 
tives, they  are  invariably  on  the  side  of  what  is  most  ho- 
nourable and  high  minded.  Even  should  they  err,  you 
feel  that  you  would  rather  err  with  them  than  be  wise  with 
more  long-headed  or  more  cold-hearted  politicians. 

In  considering  America  generally,  one  finds  a  charac- 
ter in  her  foreign  to  Europe,  —  something  which  there 
would  be  accounted  visionary  ;  a  liberality  of  sentiment, 
and  a  nationality  of  feeling,  not  founded  upon  the  mere  ac- 
cident of  birth,  but  upon  the  appreciation  of  that  civil  liber- 


WESTERN    STATES.  29o 

ty  to  which  she  owes  all  her  greatness  and  happiness.  It 
is  to  be  expected,  however,  that  in  the  democracies  of  the 
west,  these  distinctions  will  be  yet  more  peculiarly  marked. 

It  seems  to  be  a  vulgar  belief  in  Europe,  that  the  Ame- 
rican wilderness  is  usually  settled  by  the  worst  members 
of  the  community.  The  friend  I  write  to  is  well  aware 
that  it  is  generally  by  the  best.  The  love  of  liberty,  which 
the  emigrant  bears  with  him  from  the  shores  of  the  Con- 
necticut, the  Hudson,  or  Potomac,  is  exalted  and  refined 
in  the  calm  and  seclusion  of  nature's  primeval  woods,  and 
boundless  prairies.  Some  reckless  spirits,  spurning  all 
law  and  social  order,  must  doubtless  mingle  with  the 
more  virtuous  crowd;  but  these  rarely  settle  down  as 
farmers.  They  start  ahead  of  the  advanced  guard  of 
civilization,  and  form  a  wandering  troop  of  hunters,  ap- 
proximating in  life  and,  sometimes,  in  character  to  the 
Indians,  their  associates.  At  other  times  they  assume  the 
occupation  of  shepherds,  driving  on  their  cattle  from  pas- 
ture to  pasture,  according  as  fancy  leads  them  on  from 
one  fair  prairie  to  another  still  fairer,  or  according  as  the 
approaching  tide  of  population  threatens  to  encroach  upon 
their  solitude  and  their  wild  dominion. 

You  may,  however,  find  among  these  borderers  many 
rare  characters,  who,  like  their  veteran  leader  Daniel 
Boon,  depose  none  of  the  social  virtues  in  their  Arab  life. 
';  The  frontier,"  observes  Mr.  Brackenridge,  a  gentleman 
who  has  an  intimate  acquaintance  with  the  people  of 
whom  he  writes  ;  "  the  frontier  is  certainly  the  refuge  of 
many  worthless  and  abandoned  characters,  but  it  is  also 
the  choice  of  many  of  the  noblest  souls.  It  seems  wisely 
ordered,  that  in  the  part  which  is  weakest,  where  the 
force  of  laws  is  scarcely  felt,  there  should  be  found  the 
greatest  sum  of  real  courage,  and  of  disinterested  virtue. 
Few  young  men  who  have  migrated  to  the  frontier  are 
without  merit.  From  the  firm  conviction  of  its  future- 
importance,  generous  and  enterprising  youth,  the  virtuous, 


294  CHARACTER  OF  THE 

unfortunate,  and  those  of  moderate  patrimony,  repair  to  it, 
•that  they  may  grow  up  with  the  country,  and  form  establish- 
ments for  themselves  and  families.  Hence  in  this  territo- 
ry there  are  many  sterling  characters.  Among  others  I 
mention,  with  pleasure,  that  brave  and  adventurous  North- 
Carolinian,  who  makes  so  distinguished  a  figure  in  the 
history  of  Kentucky,  the  venerable  Colonel  Boon.  This 
respectable  old  man,  in  the  eighty-fifth  year  of  his  age,  re- 
sides on  Salt  river,  up  the  Missouri.  He  is  surrounded 
by  about  forty  families,  who  respect  him  as  a  father,  and 
who  live  under  a  kind  of  patriarchal  government,  ruled 
by  his  advice  and  example.  They  are  not  necessitous 
persons,  who  have  fled  for  their  crimes  or  misfortunes, 
like  those  that  gathered  unto  David  in  the  cave  of  Adul- 
lum  :  they  all  live  well,  and  possess  the  necessaries  and 
comforts  of  life  as  they  could  wish.  They  retired  through 
choice.  Perhaps  they  acted  wisely  in  placing  themselves 
at  a  distance  from  the  deceit  and  turbulence  of  the  world. 
They  enjoy  an  uninterrupted  quiet,  and  a  real  comfort  in 
their  little  society,  beyond  the  sphere  of  that  larger  society 
where  government  is  necessary.  Here  they  are  truly 
free  ;  exempt  from  the  vexing  duties  and  impositions  even 
of  the  best  governments,  they  are  neither  assailed  by 
the  madness  of  ambition,  nor  tortured  by  the  poison  of 
party  spirit.  Is  not  this  one  of  the  most  powerful  incen- 
tives which  impels  the  Anglo-American  to  bury  himself 
in  the  midst  of  the  wilderness  ?"* 

The  borderers  universally  took  an  active  part  in  the 
war,  and  were  eminently  useful  in  repelling  the  incui- 

~  The  lord  of  the  wilderness,  Daniel  Boon,  though  his  eye  is  now  sotncu  hut 
dimmed,  and  his  limbs  enfeebled  by  a  long  life  of  adventure,  can  still  hit  the 
wild  fowl  on  the  wing  with  that  dexterity  which  in  his  earlier  years  excited 
the  envy  of  Indian  hunters  ;  and  he  now  looks  upon  the  "  lamou*  river"  Yn,- 
souri  with  feelings  scarce  less  ardent  than  when  he  surveyed  with  clearer 
vision  "  the  famous  river  Ohio."  The  grave  of  this  worshipper  of  nature, 
wild  adventure,  and  unrestrained  liberty,  will  be  visited  by  the  feebler  chil- 
dren of  future  generations  v  ith  surh  awe  as  the  Creeks  might  regard  those  of 


FIRST    SETTLERS. ANECDOTE  OF  LAFITTE. 

sions  of  the  Indians.  Not  even  the  most  lawless  but  was 
found  ready  to  pour  his  life  blood  for  the  republic. 

A  curious  instance  of  the  strange  mixture  of  magnanimi- 
ty and  ferocity  often  found  even  among  the  demi-savages  of 
the  borders  was  afforded,  during  that  contest,  by  the  Loui- 
sianian  Lafitte.  Some  years  previous  to  the  war,  this  des- 
perado had  placed  himself  at  the  head  of  a  band  of  out- 
laws from  all  nations  under  heaven,  and  fixed  his  abode 
upon  the  top  of  an  impregnable  rock,  to  the  southwest  of 
the  mouth  of  the  Mississippi.  Under  the  colours  of  the 
South  American  patriots,  they  pirated  at  pleasure  every 
vessel  that  came  in  their  way,  and  smuggled  their  booty 
up  the  secret  creeks  of  the  Mississippi  with  a  dexterity 
that  baffled  all  the  limbs  of  the  law.  The  depredations 
of  these  outlaws,  or,  as  they  styled  themselves,  Barrita- 
rians,  (from  Barrita,  their  island,)  becoming  at  length  in- 
tolerable, the  United  States'  government  despatched  an 
armed  force  against  their  little  Tripoli.  The  establish- 
ment was  broken  up,  and  the  pirates  dispersed.  No 
sooner,  however,  had  the  fleet  fairly  disappeared,  than 
Lafitte  again  collected  his  outlaws,  and  took  possession  of 
his  rock.  The  attention  of  the  congress  being  now  diverted 
by  the  war,  he  scoured  the  gulf  at  his  pleasure,  and  so 
tormented  the  coasting  traders,  that  Governor  Clairborne 
of  Louisiana  set  a  price  on  his  head. 

This  darijig  outlaw,  thus  confronted  with  the  American 
government,  appeared  likely  to  promote  the  designs  of  its 
enemies.  He  was  known  to  possess  the  clue  to  all  the 
secret  windings  and  entrances  of  the  many-mouthed  Mis- 
sissippi ;  and  in  the  projected  attack  upon  New-Orleans 
it  was  deemed  expedient  to  secure  his  assistance. 

The  British  officer  then  heading  the  forces  landed  at 

their  earlier  demi-gods.  The  mind  of  this  singular  man  seems  best  portray- 
ed by  his  own  simple  words.  "No  populous  city,  with  all  the  varieties  of 
commerce  and  stately  structure,  could  afford  so  much  pleasure  to  my  mind  as 
the  beauties  of  nature  that  I  find  here." 


296 

Pensacola  for  the  invasion  of  Louisiana,  opened  a  treat} 
with  the  Barritarian,  to  whom  he  offered  such  rewards  as 
were  best  calculated  to  tempt  his  cupidity  and  flatter  his 
ambition.  The  outlaw  affected  to  relish  the  proposal ; 

but,  having  artfully  drawn  from  Colonel  N the 

plan  of  his  intended  attack,  he  spurned  his  offers  with  the 
most  contemptuous  disdain,  and  instantly  despatched  oner 
of  his  most  trusty  corsairs  to  the  governor  who  had  pro- 
scribed his  life,  advising  him  of  the  intentions  of  the  ene- 
my, and  volunteering  the  aid  of  his  little  band,  on  the 
single  condition  that  an  amnesty  should  be  granted  for 
their  past  offences.  Governor  Clairborne,  though  touch- 
ed by  this  proof  of  magnanimity,  hesitated  to  close  with 
the  offer.  The  corsair  kept  himself  in  ^readiness  for  the 
expected  summons,  and  continued  to  spy  and  report  the 
motions  of  the  enemy.  As  danger  became  more  urgent. 
and  the  steady  generosity  of  the  outlaw  more  assured, 
Governor  Clairborne  granted  to  him  and  his  followers 
life  and  pardon,  and  called  them  to  the  defence  of  the 
city.  They  obeyed  with  alacrity,  and  served  with  a  va- 
lour, fidelity,  and  good  conduct,  not  surpassed  by  the  best 
volunteers  of  the  republic.* 

I  have  given  but  a  rude  sketch  of  the  great  divisions  of 
this  republic  :  a  subject  of  this  kind  admits  not  of  much 
precision  ;  or,  at  any  rate,  my  pencil  is  not  skilled  enough 
to  handle  it  ably.  I  wish  you  to  observe,  however,  that 
the  birth  of  the  new  states  has  tended  to  consolidate  the 
Union ;  and  that  their  growing'  importance  is  likely  to  be 
felt  in  the  same  manner ;  contrary  to  the  calculations  of 
long-sighted  politicians,  who  foretold  that  as  the  integral 
parts  of  this  great  political  structure  should  strengthen 
and  multiply,  the  cement  which  hold  them  together  would 

*  The  restless  Lafitte  again  hoisted  Hie  flag  of  Carthajena ;  to  follow 
however,  a  more  regular  mode  of  warfare  than  that  with  which  he  commen- 
ced his  career.  I  believe  ho  ha-'  rr''-''-ri=d  ~t-.tr  f  ~'<^nai\  sf  rvices  to  the  patri.-,; 


THE  UNION  OF  THE  STATES.          297 

crumble  away ;  and  that  as  the  interests  of  the  extended 
community  should  become  more  various,  it  would  be  dis- 
tracted with  more  party  animosities. 

The  fact  is,  that  every  sapient  prophecy  with  regard  to 
America  has  been  disproved.  We  were  forewarned  that 
she  was  too  free,  and  her  liberty  has  proved  her  security  ; 
too  peaceable,  and  she  has  been  found  sufficient  for  her 
defence ;  too  large,  and  her  size  has  insured  her  union. 
These  numerous  republics,  scattered  through  so  wide  a 
range  of  territory,  embracing  all  the  climates,  and  con- 
taining all  the  various  products  of  the  earth,  seem  des- 
tined, in  the  course  of  years,  to  form  a  world  within 
themselves,  independent  alike  of  the  treasures  and  the 
industry  of  all  the  other  sections  of  the  globe.  Each  year 
they  are  learning,  more  and  more,  to  look  to  each  other 
for  all  the  various  articles  of  food  and  raiment ;  while  the 
third  great  human  necessity — defence,  they  have  been 
from  infancy  practised  to  furnish  in  common.  The  bonds 
of  union,  indeed,  are  more  numerous  and  intimate  than 
can  be  easily  conceived  by  foreigners.  A  people  who 
have  bled  together  for  liberty,  who  equally  appreciate 
and  equally  enjoy  that  liberty  which  their  own  blood  or 
that  of  their  fathers  has  purchased ;  who  feel,  too,  that  the 
liberty  which  they  love  has  found  her  last  asylum  on  their 
shores ;  such  a  people  are  bound  together  by  ties  of  amity 
and  citizenship  far  beyond  what  is  usual  in  national  com 
munities. 


298 


LETTER  XXII. 


UNRESTRAINED    LIBERTY    OF  THE  PRESS.  ELECTIONS. 

EFFECT     OF     POLITICAL     WRITINGS.  NEWSPAPERS. 

CONGRESSIONAL    DEBATES. 

New- York,  February,  18 20., 
'*.*> 
.MY  L>KAR  FRIENO, 

THE  Americans  are  certainly  a  calm,  rational,  civil,  and 
well  behaved  people ;  not  given  to  quarrel  or  to  call  each 
other  names  ;  and  yet  if  you  were  to  look  at  their  news- 
papers you  would  think  them  a  parcel  of  Hessian  soldiers. 
An  unrestricted  press  appears  to  be  the  safety-valve  of 
their  free  constitution ;  and  they  seem  to  understand  this : 
for  they  no  more  regard  all  the  noise  and  sputter  that  it 
occasions,  than  the  roaring  of  the  vapour  on  board  their 
steamboats. 

Were  a  foreigner,  immediately  upon  landing,  to  take- 
up  a  newspaper,  (especially  if  he  should  chance  to  land 
just  before  an  election,)  he  might  suppose  that  the  whole 
political  machine  was  about  to  fall  to  pieces,  and  that  ho 
had  just  come  in  time  to  be  crushed  in  its  ruins.  But  if 
he  should  not  look  at  a  newspaper,  he  might  walk  through 
the  streets  on  the  very  day  of  election,  and  never  find  out 
that  it  was  going  on,  unless,  indeed,  it  should  happen  to 
him  as  it  happened  to  me,  to  see  a  crowd  collected  round 
a  pole  surmounted  by  a  cap  of  liberty,  and  men  walking 
in  at  one  door  of  a  house,  and  walking  out  at  another. 
Should  he  then  ask  a  friend  hurrying  past  him,  "  What  is 


LIBERTY  OF  THE  PRESS.  299 

going  on  there  ?"  he  may  receive  for  answer,  "  The  elec- 
tion of  representatives  :  walk  on  :  I  am  just  going  to  give 
in  my  vote,  and  I  will  overtake  you." 

It  might  seem  strange,  that  the  sovereign  people  should 
judge  proper  to  exercise  the  right  of  abusing  the  rulers  of 
their  choice;  a  right  which  they  certainly  do  exercise 
without  mercy ;  but  when  we  consider,  that  in  this  de- 
mocracy there  is  generally  a  yielding  of  a  minority  to  a 
majority,  the  case  seems  quite  easy  of  explanation.  Be- 
sides, after  a  man  has  assisted  in  the  choice  of  his  repre- 
sentative, he  may  take  offence  at  him.  It  of  course  then 
follows,  that  he  will  tell  him  so ;  and  that  he  will  tell  his  fel- 
low citizens  the  same,  and  that  he  will  endeavour  to  eke 
out  his  philippic  with  the  aid  of  all  the  epithets  in  the  dic- 
tionary. Now,  though  this  practice  of  vilifying  the  freely 
chosen  officers  of  the  republic  is  not  very  reputable  to  the 
community,  it  evidently  brings  its  own  cure  with  it.  Pub- 
lic opinion,  after  all,  is  the  best,  and,  indeed,  the  only  ef- 
ficient censor  of  the  press :  in  this  country  it  is  found  all- 
sufficient  ;  while  in  other  countries,  fines,  imprisonments, 
and  executions,  are  had  recourse  to  in  vain. 

The  public  prints  were  never  more  outrageous  than  af- 
ter the  discomfiture  of  the  federal  party  in  1 805 ;  and 
never  did  the  shafts  of  slander  fall  more  harmless  than  on 
those  wise  rulers  to  whom  the  people  had  transferred  their 
confidence.  The  speech  of  Mr.  Jefferson,  after  his  se- 
cond inauguration,  contains  some  observations  of  so  gene- 
ral an  application,  that  I  am  tempted  to  direct  your  atten- 
tion to  them. 

"  During  this  course  of  administration,  and  in  order  to 
'*  disturb  it,  the  artillery  of  the  press  has  been  levelled 
"'  against  us,  charged  with  whatever  its  licentiousness 
::  could  devise  or  dare.  These  abuses  of  an  institution,  so 
:;  important  to  freedom  and  science,  are  deeply  to  be  re- 
"  gretted,  inasmuch  as  they  tend  to  lessen  its  usefulness, 
:;  and  to  sap  its  safety.  They  might,  perhaps,  have  been 


300  LIBERTY   OF  THE  1'REsS. 

"  corrected  by  the  wholesome  punishments  reserved  to 
"  and  provided  by  the  laws  of  the  several  states  against 
"  falsehood  and  defamation ;  but  public  duties  more  ur- 
"  gent  press  on  the  time  of  the  servants  of  the  public,  and 
"  the  offenders  have  therefore  been  left  to  find  their  pii- 
"  nishment  in  the  public  indignation. 

"  Nor  was  it  uninteresting  to  the  world,  that  an  expe- 
"  riment  should  be  fairly  and  fully  made  whether  freedom 
"  of  discussion,  unaided  by  power,  is  not  sufficient  for  the 
"  propagation  and  protection  of  truth ;  whether  a  govern- 
"  ment,  conducting  itself  in  the  true  spirit  of  its  constitu- 
"  tion,  with  zeal  and  purity,  and  doing  no  act  which  it 
"  would  be  unwilling  tlie  whole  world  should  witness,  can 
"  be  written  down  by  falsehood  and  defamation.  The 
"  experiment  has  been  made :  you  have  witnessed  the  re- 
"  suit.  Our  fellow  citizens  have  looked  on  cool  and  col- 
"  lected.  They  saw  the  latent  source  from  which  these 
';  outrages  proceeded.  They  gathered  around  their  pub- 
"  lie  functionaries ;  and  when  the  constitution  called  them 
"  to  the  decision  by  suffrage,  they  pronounced  their  ver- 
"  diet,  honourable  to  those  who  had  served  them,  and  con- 
"  solatory  to  the  friends  of  man,  who  believe  that  he  may 
"  and  ought  to  be  trusted  with  the  control  of  his  own  af- 
"  fairs.  No  inference  is  here  intended  that  the  laws  pro- 
"  vided  by  the  states,  against  false  and  defamatory  publi- 
"  cations,  should  not  be  enforced.  He  who  has  leisure 
"  renders  service  to  the  public  morals,  and  public  tran- 
"  quillity,  in  reforming  these  abuses  by  the  salutary  coer- 
"  cions  of  the  law.  But  the  experiment  is  noted  to  prove, 
"  that,  since  truth  and  reason  have  maintained  their 
"  ground,  against  false  opinions  in  league  with  false  facts, 
''  the  press  calls  for  few  legal  restraints.  The  public 
"judgment  will  correct  false  reasoning  and  opinion,  upon 
"  a  full  hearing  of  all  parties,  and  no  other  definite  line 
"  can  be  drawn  between  the  inestimable  liberty  of  the 
"  press,  and  its  demoralizing  licentiousness." 


INFLUENCE  OP  THE  PRESS.  301 

Never  was  there  a  country  in  which  a  demagogue  had 
less  in  his  power  than  in  this.  The  citizen  here  learns  to 
think  for  himself.  His  very  pride  as  a  sovereign  revolts 
from  a  blind  surrender  of  his  judgment  to  those  who  may 
be  willing  to  set  up  as  his  teachers.  He  looks  to  facts ;  con- 
siders the  conduct  of  his  public  functionaries,  and  pro- 
nounces accordingly.  Sedition  here  may  safely  ring  her 
larum  ;  no  man  regards  it.  The  eyes  of  the  people  are 
fixed  upon  the  wheel  of  government ;  and  so  long  as  it 
moves  fairly  and  steadily,  the  servants  that  guide  it  are 
supported  by  the  national  suffrage. 

But  if  the  declamation  of  the  press  passes  unregarded, 
its  sound  reasoning,  supported  by  facts,  exerts  a  sway  be- 
yond all  that  is  known  in  Europe.  Here  there  is  no  mob. 
An  orator  or  a  writer  must  make  his  way  to  the  feelings 
of  the  American  people  through  their  reason.  They 
must  think  with  him  before  they  will  feel  with  him  ;  but, 
when  once  they  do  both,  there  is  nothing  to  prevent  their 
acting  with  him.  It  was  thus  that  the  effect  of  "  Common 
Sense"  on  the  public  mind  produced  an  effect  upon  the 
public  councils.  It  unfurled  the  standard  of  independ- 
ence. Prior  to  this  the  eloquent  Patrick  Henry  had 
roused  the  soul  of  Virginia,  and  put  arms  in  her  hand  ; 
Dickenson,  by  the  most  admirable  train  of  reasoning,  had 
led  the  people  to  calculate  the  inevitable  results  of  the 
acts  of  the  British  parliament,  and  strengthened  them  in 
that  spirit  of  resistance  which  redeemed  the  liberties  of 
mankind.  Throughout  the  revolutionary  struggle  not  a 
pamphlet,  not  a  fable,  not  a  ballad,  but  had  its  influence 
on  the  feelings,  and  thus  on  the  affairs  of  the  nation. 

The  writings  of  the  great  and  good  Franklin,  the  Socra- 
tes of  modern  times,  the  father  of  independent  America,  and 
the  oracle  of  those  philosophic  statesmen  whom  the  public 
voice  has  fixed  at  the  helm,  since  the  first  election  of  Mr. 
Jefferson,  exert  to  this  day  their  holy  influence  on  the  na- 
tional character,  and,  consequently,  on  the  national  court- 


302  POLITICAL  WRITINGS. 

cils.  You  cannot  enter  the  house  of  a  farmer,  or  the  log  hut 
of  a  settler,  that  you  will  not  find  the  writings  of  this  sago 
upon  the  shelf.  His  apophthegms  and  parables  are  gra- 
ven upon  the  memory  of  childhood ;  "  his  life  written  by 
himself"  is  the  pocket  manual  of  the  youth  when  he  en- 
ters into  the  world;  his  divine  precepts  (for  sucli  they 
truly  are)  of  justice,  humanity,  forbearance,  industry, 
economy,  simplicity,  philanthropy,  and  liberty,  regulate 
the  administration  of  many  a  patriotic  statesman,  and  the 
life  of  many  a  virtuous  citizen. 

The  nervous  and  classical  papers  of  "  The  Federalist" 
greatly  furthered  the  adoption  and  peaceable  establish- 
ment of  the  federal  constitution ;  many  other  writings 
had  a  similar  tendency.  The  resolutions  passed  by  the 
legislature  of  Virginia,  in  1799,  framed  by  Mr.  Jefferson 
and  Mr.  Madison,  declaring  the  congress  to  have  ex- 
ceeded the  powers  delegated  to  it,  fixed  the  attention  of 
the  whole  nation  ;  and  for  this  reason,  that  the  declaration 
was  supported  by  facts  which  had  already  occupied  the 
public  mind,  and  which  proved  the  truth  of  the  charge. 
"  The  Olive  Branch  ;  or  Faults  on  both  Sides,"  the  work 
of  Mr.  Carey,  a  respectable  bookseller,  and  patriotic  citi- 
zen in  Philadelphia,  is  said  to  have  produced  the  greatest 
sensation  of  any  political  treatise  since  the  appearance  of 
"  Common  Sense."  Its  ostensible  object  was  to  cement 
the  two  old  parties,  democratic  and  federal ;  but  its  enu- 
meration of  their  mutual  faults  made  out  so  much  heavier 
a  catalogue  against  the  latter,  as  was  little  calculated  to 
subdue  it  by  kindness.  The  work  rather  assisted  the  de- 
struction of  the  malcontents  by  covering  them  with  con- 
fusion ;  perhaps,  too,  by  provoking  them  to  acts  of  greater 
intemperance,  and  thus  forcing  them  to  work  out  their 
own  ruin.  However  this  may  be,  the  ability  and  utility 
of  "  The  Olive  Branch"  were  acknowledged  and  felt  by 
the  nation  :  it  ran  through  thirteen  large  editions  with  the 


NEWSPAPERS.  .303 

speed  of  light,  and  was  in  the  hands  of  every  citizen  of 
the  republic. 

-  It  would  be  impossible  for  a  country  to  be  more  com- 
pletely deluged  with  newspapers  than  is  this ;  they  are 
to  be  had  not  only  in  the  English  but  in  the  French  and 
Dutch  languages,  and  sonic  will  probably  soon  appear  in 
the  Spanish.  It  is  here  not  the  amusement  but  the  duty 
of  every  man  to  know  what  his  public  functionaries  are 
doing  :  he  has  first  to  look  after  the  conduct  of  the  gene- 
ral government,  and,  secondly,  after  that  of  his  own  state 
legislature.  But  besides  this,  he  must  also  know  what  is 
passing  in  all  the  different  states  of  the  Union :  as  the 
number  of  these  states  has  now  multiplied  to  twenty-two, 
besides  others  in  embryo,  there  is  abundance  of  home 
politics  to  swell  the  pages  of  a  newspaper ;  then  come 
the  politics  of  Europe,  which,  by-the-bye,  are,  I  think, 
often  better  understood  here  than  on  your  side  of  the  At- 
lantic. Another,  and  a  more  interesting  subject  to  Ame- 
ricans, is  found  in  the  affairs  of  their  brethren  of  the 
south.  Many  generous  citizens  of  this  republic  have 
embarked  their  lives  and  fortunes  in  a  cause  which  bears 
so  strong  a  parallel  to  that  for  which  they  or  their  fathers 
bled  on  their  own  soil.  Several  friendly  missions  have 
been  despatched  from  this  government  to  those  of  the 
southern  republics,  the  account  of  which  you  will,  I  think, 
read  with  much  interest.* 

But,  independent  of  politics,  these  multitudinous  ga- 
zettes and  journals  are  made  to  contain  a  wondrous  mis- 
cellany of  information  ;  there  is  not  a  conceivable  topic 

*  The  English  reader  will  find  a  most  able  and  interesting  account  of  the 
Buenos  Ayres  republic  in  a  work  entitled  Voyage  to  South,  America,  performed 
by  Order  of  the  American  Government,  in  the  Years  1817  and  1818,  in  the 
Frigate  Congress.  By  H.  M.  Brackenridge,  Esq.,  Secretary  to  the  Mission. 
A  highly  interesting  account  of  the  affairs  of  Mexico,  will  be  found  in  the 
work  of  William  Davis  Robinson  of  Philadelphia,  entitled  Memoirs  of  the 
Mexican  Revolution,  including  a  Narrative  of  the  Expedition  of  Central 
Kavitr  Mina. 


301  CONGRESSIONAL  DEBATES. 

in  the  whole  range  of  human  knowledge  that  they  do  not 
treat  of  in  some  way  or  other ;  not  unfrequently,  I  must 
observe,  with  considerable  ability,  while  the  facts  thai 
«they  contain,  and  the  general  principles  that  they  advocate,, 
are  often  highly  serviceable  to  the  community.  The  par- 
ty rancour  which  occasionally  defaces  their  columns,  ap- 
pears, as  I  have  said,  to  be  more  ludicrous  than  mischie- 
vous ;  at  any  rate,  it  is  clearly  an  evil  which  comes  in  the 
train  of  liberty,  and  which,  for  the  sake  of  the  good  com- 
pany it  keeps,  the  republic  may  well  be  content  to  bear 
with. 

As  you  will  have  remarked  in  the  congressional  de- 
bates, this  scurrility  never  finds  its  way  into  the  senate. 
The  language  of  the  representatives  of  the  nation,  how- 
ever warm  be  the  argument,  is  invariably  decorous  and 
gentlemanly.  Even  during  the  hottest  period  of  that  po- 
litical strife  which  agitated  the  nation  and  the  senate  du- 
ring the  struggles  of  the  democratic  and  federal  parties, 
there  is  but  one  instance  on  record  where  the  decorum  of 
the  house  was  openly  violated.  It  was,  to  be  sure,  an 
outrageous  exception  :  one  member  gave  another  the  lie ; 
upon  which  he  was  felled  by  his  adversary  to  the  ground, 
and  both  were  expelled. 

The  tone  assumed  in  the  debates  of  congress  has  for 
many  years  been  worthy  of  the  Roman  senate  in  its  best 
days ;  nor  is  the  oratory  and  sound  reasoning  displayed  in 
them  less  remarkable  than  the  temper  which  is  invariably 
preserved.  I  believe  this  moderation,  so  different  from 
what  is  found  in  the  English  bouse  of  commons,  may  be 
explained  by  considering  that  here  there  are  no  regular 
majorities  and  minorities.  It  is  a  fair  combat  of  opinions  *, 
not  principle  standing  opposed  to  power.  As  those  who 
differ  from  each  other  to-day  may  be  found  in  the  same 
majority  to-morrow,  it  is  seldom  that  personal  animosity 
is  mingled  with  political  opposition  ;  the  broad  principles, 
too,  of  justice,  and  the  rights  of  man.  which  are  so  eter- 


fcONGRESSltJNAL  DEBATES.  305 

hally  appealed  to  in  the  hall  of  the  representatives,  are 
calculated  to  impart  dignity  to  the  national  politics.  The 
vessel  of  the  state  has  to  be  navigated  through  the  broad 
ocean  of  liberty,  not  through  the  tortuous  canal  of  politi- 
cal expediency.  The  soul  of  the  statesman  expands  over 
the  vast  prospect  before  him  ;  the  generous  principles 
which  form  his  weapons  of  attack  and  defence  dispose 
him  to  wage  an  honourable  and  chivalrous  combat  with 
his  adversary ;  he  presses  him  home,  indeed  attacks  him 
on  all  sides,  and  occasionally  thunders  down  his  blows 
with  all  the  fever  of  impatient  enthusiasm ;  but  he  does 
not  permit  himself  to  seek  any  unfair  advantage,  by  at- 
tempting to  vilify  his  adversary,  which  could  only  injure 
his  own  cause,  or  mar  the  honour  of  his  triumph. 

We  may  further  observe,  that  personal  invective  is  not 
likely  to  be  tolerated  in  an  assembly  composed  of  men  all 
equally  proud  and  equally  free.  The  political  institutions 
doubtless  give  the  key  to  this  peculiarity,  which  so  often 
excites  the  surprise  of  foreigners,  accustomed  in  Europe 
to  look  for  noise  and  confusion  in  the  courts  of  liberty. 


41 


LETTER  XXIIJ. 

EDUCATION. PUBLIC    SEMINARIES. DISCIPLINE    Of 

SCHOOLS. CONDITION  OF  WOMEN. 

New-York,  March,   1820V 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

THE  education  of  youth,  which  may  be  said  to  form  the 
basis  of  American  government,  is  in  every  state  of  the 
Union  made  a  national  concern.  Upon  this  subject, 
therefore,  the  observations  that  apply  to  one  may  be  con- 
sidered as,  more  or  less,  applying  to  all.  The  portion  of 
this  wide  spread  community,  that  paid  the  earliest  and 
most  anxious  attention  to  the  instruction  of  its  citizens,  was 
New-England.  This  probably  originated  in  the  greater 
democracy  of  her  colonial  institutions.  Liberty  and  know- 
ledge ever  go  hand  in  hand. 

If  the  national  policy  of  some  of  the  New-England 
states  has  been  occasionally  censurable,  the  internal  ar- 
rangement of  all  amply  redeems  her  character.  There  is 
not  a  more  truly  virtuous  community  in  the  world  than 
that  to  be  found  in  the  democracies  of  the  east.  The 
beauty  of  their  villages,  the  neatness  and  cleanliness  of 
their  houses,  the  simplicity  of  their  manners,  the  sinceri- 
ty of  their  religion,  despoiled  in  a  great  measure  of  its  for- 
mer Calvinistic  austerity,  their  domestic  habits,  pure 
morals  and  well  administered  laws,  must  command  the 
admiration  and  respect  of  every  stranger.  I  was  forcibly 
struck  in  Connecticut  with  the  appearance  of  the  children, 
neatly  dressed,  with  their  sachels  on  their  arms,  and  their 
faces  blooming  with  health  and  cheerfulness,  dropping 
their  courtesy  to  the  passenger  as  they  trooped  to  school. 


EDUCATION.  307 

The  obeisance  thus  made  is  not  rendered  to  station  but  to 
age.  Like  the  young  Spartans,  the  youth  are  taught  to 
salute  respectfully  their  superiors  in  years ;  and  the  artless- 
ness  and  modesty  with  which  the  intelligent  young  crea- 
tures reply  to  the  stranger's  queries,  might  give  pleasure 
to  Lycurgus  himself. 

The  state  of  Connecticut  has  appropriated  a  fund  of  a 
million  and  a  half  of  dollars  to  the  support  of  public 
schools.  In  Vermont,  a  certain  portion  of  land  has  been 
laid  off  in  every  township,  whose  proceeds  are  devoted  to 
the  same  purpose.  In  the  other  states^  every  township 
taxes  itself  to  such  amount  as  is  necessary  to  defray 
the  expense  of  schools,  which  teach  reading,  writing,  and 
arithmetic,  to  the  whole  population.  In  larger  towns, 
these  schools  teach  geography  and  the  rudiments  of  Latin. 
These  establishments,  supported  at  the  common  expense, 
are  open  to  the  whole  youth,  male  and  female,  of  the 
country.  Other  seminaries  of  a  higher  order  are  also 
maintained  in  the  more  populous  districts ;  half  the  ex- 
pense being  discharged  by  appropriated  funds,  and  the 
remainder  by  a  small  charge  laid  on  the  scholar.  The 
instruction  here  given  fits  the  youth  for  the  state  colleges ; 
of  which  there  is  one  or  more  in  every  state.  The  uni- 
versity of  Cambridge,  in  Massachusetts,  is  the  oldest,  and, 
I  believe,  the  most  distinguished  establishment  of  the  kind 
existing  in  the  Union. 

Perhaps  the  number  of  colleges,  founded  in  this  wide- 
spread family  of  republics,  may  not,  in  general,  be  fa- 
vourable to  the  growth  of  distinguished  universities.  It 
best  answers,  however,  the  object  intended,  which  is  not 
to  raise  a  few  very  learned  citizens,  but  a  well-informed 
and  liberal-minded  community. 

The  number  of  universities  in  the  United  States  now 
amounts  to  forty-eight.  The  most  remarkable  of  these 
are,  Harvard  University,  at  Cambridge,  near  Boston, 
founded  in  the  year  1698  ;  Yale  College,  at  New-Haven. 


308  EDUCATION. 

Connecticut,  founded  in  1701.  Nassau  Hall,  at  Prince- 
ton, New- Jersey,  founded  in  1738;  Columbia  College, 
in  the  city  of  New- York,  founded  in  1754  ;  Dartmouth 
College,  in  New-Hampshire,  founded  in  1 769  ;  and  Wil- 
liam and  Mary  College,  in  Virginia,  founded  in  1791. 
Many  of  the  colleges  of  the  Union  are  amply  endowed 
by  the  legislatures  of  the  states  to  which  they  belong. 
Those  of  the  new  states  are  munificently  provided  for  by 
the  laws  of  Congress,  which  devote  extensive  tracts  of 
the  national  lands  for  their  support.  In  Ohio,  for  instance, 
about  the  one  thirty-sixth  part  of  the  whole  territory  of 
that  rich  state  is  granted  for  this  purpose  ;  and  so  distri- 
buted as  to  produce  the  greatest  effect.  In  some  of  the 
states  more  lately  formed,  as  in  that  of  Illinois,  the  dona- 
tions are  still  more  liberal.  Numerous  and  well-endowed 
as  are  the  establishments  for  the  education  of  youth  in  the 
Atlantic  states,  they  will,  in  less  than  a  century  from 
this  tune,  appear  diminutive  when  compared  with  those 
of  the  west.  I  had  occasion  in  a  former  letter  to  advert 
to  the  academy  at  West- Point,  instituted  for  the  purpose 
of  diffusing  correct  military  information  throughout  the 
country. 

It  is  unnecessary  that  I  should  enter  into  a  particular 
detail  of  the  internal  regulations  of  all  the  different  states 
relative  to  the  national  instruction.  The  child  of  every 
citizen,  male  or  female,  white  or  black,  is  entitled,  by 
right,  to  a  plain  education  ;  and  funds  sufficient  to  defray 
the  expense  of  his  instruction  are  raised  either  from  public 
lands  appropriated  to  the  purpose,  or  by  taxes  sometimes 
imposed  by  the  legislature,  and  sometimes  by  the  different 
townships.  But,  notwithstanding  the  universality  of  these 
regulations,  it  must  sometimes  happen,  from  the  more 
scattered  population  in  some  districts,  and  in  others  from 
the  occasional  patches  of  a  foreign  population,  that  know- 
ledge is  more  unequally  spread.  The  Germans  of  Penn- 
sylvania and  the  Dutch  of  New- York  are.  here  and 


EDUCATION.  309 

there,  in  full  possession  of  the  temple  of  ignorance ;  and 
three  or  four  generations  have,  in  some  cases,  proved  in- 
sufficient to  root  out  their  predilection  for  the  leaden  deity 
so  long  worshipped  within  its  walls.  German  schools 
have,  however,  done  much  towards  the  overthrow  of  the 
idol ;  and  it  may  be  anticipated,  that  even  German  obsti- 
nacy will  at  last  be  brought  to  exchange  the  Dutch  al- 
phabet for  that  of  the  country.  There  is  something  inex- 
plicable in  national  character,  every  where  so  distinctly 
marked.  A  dozen  years,  and  the  French  of  Louisiana 
are  cementing  themselves  with  their  new  fellow  citizens, 
and  rearing  up  their  children,  more  or  less,  in  the  lan- 
guage of  the  nation  ;  while  the  Dutch  of  Communie-paw, 
on  the  shores  of  the  New- York  Bay,  have  taken  a  cen- 
tury to  learn  half  a  dozen  English  words,  and  to  acquire 
the  fifth  part  of  a  new  idea. 

If  we  must  seek  the  explanation  of  national  manners 
in  national  institutions  and  early  education,  all  the  cha- 
racteristics of  the  American  admit  of  an  easy  explana- 
tion. The  foreigner  is  at  first  surprised  to  find  in  the  or- 
dinary citizen  that  intelligence  and  those  sentiments  which 
he  had  been  accustomed  to  seek  in  the  writings  of  philo- 
sophers, and  the  conversation  of  the  most,  enlightened. 
The  better  half  of  our  education  in  the  old  world  consists 
of  unlearning :  we  have  to  unlearn  when  we  come  from 
the  nursery,  to  unlearn  again  when  we  come  from  the 
school,  and  often  to  continue  unlearning  through  life,  and 
to  quit  the  scene  at  last  without  having  rid  ourselves  of 
half  the  false  notions  which  had  been  implanted  in  our 
young  minds.  All  this  trouble  is  saved  here.  The  im- 
pressions received  in  childhood  are  few  and  simple,  as  are 
all  the  elements  of  just  knowledge.  Whatever  ideas  may 
be  acquired  are  learned  from  the  page  of  truth,  and  em- 
brace principles  often  unknown  to  the  most  finished  scho- 
lar of  Europe.  Nor  is  the  manner  in  which  education  is 
Jiere  conducted  without  its  influence  in  forming  the  cha- 


310  PUBLIC  SEMINARIES. 

racter.  I  feel  disposed  at  least  to  ascribe  to  it  that  mild 
friendliness  of  demeanour  which  distinguishes  the  Ame- 
rican. It  is  violence  that  begets  violence,  and  gentle- 
ness, gentleness.  I  have  frequently  heard  it  stated  by 
West-Indians,  that  a  slave  invariably  makes  the  hardest 
slave-driver.  In  English  schools  it  is  well  known  that  the 
worst  used  fag  becomes,  in  his  turn,  the  most  cruel  ty- 
rant ;  and  in  a  British  ship  of  war  it  will  often  be  found 
that  the  merciless  disciplinarian  lias  learned  his  harshness 
in  the  school  of  suffering.  The  American,  in  his  infancy, 
manhood,  or  age,  never  feels  the  hand  of  oppression. 
Violence  is  positively  forbidden  in  the  schools,  in  the  pri- 
sons, on  shipboard,  in  the  army  ;  —  every  where,  in  short, 
where  authority  is  exercised,  it  must  be  exercised  with- 
out appeal  to  the  argument  of  a  blow. 

Not  long  since  a  master  was  dismissed  from'  a  public 
school,  in  a  neighbouring  state,  for  having  struck  a  boy. 
The  little  fellow  was  transformed  in  a  moment  from  a 
culprit  to  an  accuser.  "  Do  you  dare  to  strike  me  ?  you 
are  my  teacher,  but  not  my  tyrant."  The  school-room 
made  common  cause  in  a  moment :  the  fact  was  inquired 
into,  and  the  master  dismissed.  No  apology  for  the  pu- 
nishment was  sought  in  the  nature  of  the  offence  which 
might  have  provoked  it.  As  my  informer  observed,  "  it 
was  thought,  that  the  man  who  could  not  master  his  own 
passions  was  unfit  to  control  the  passions  of  others  ;  be- 
sides, that  he  had  infringed  the  rules  of  the  school,  and 
forfeited  the  respect  of  his  scholars."  By  this  early  ex- 
emption from  arbitrary  power,  the  boy  acquires  feelings 
and  habits  which  abide  with  him  through  life.  He  feels 
his  own  importance  as  a  human  and  a  thinking  being ; 
and  learns  to  regard  violence  as  equally  degrading  to  him 
who  exercises  it,  and  to  him  who  submits  to  it.  You  will 
perceive  how  the  seeds  of  pride  and  gentleness  are  thus 
likely  to  spring  up  together  in  the  same  mind.  In  the 
proper  union  and  tempering  of  these  two  qualities  were, 


CONDITION  OF  WOMEN.  31 1 

perhaps,  found  the  perfection  of  national  as  well  as  of 
individual  character. 

In  the  education  of  women,  New-England  seems  hi- 
therto to  have  been  peculiarly  liberal.  The  ladies  of  the 
eastern  states  are  frequently  possessed  of  the  most  solid 
acquirements,  the  modern  and  even  the  dead  languages, 
and  a  wide  scope  of  reading ;  the  consequence  is,  that 
their  manners  have  the  character  of  being  more  compo- 
sed than  those  of  my  gay  young  friends  in  this  quarter,  i 
have  already  stated,  in  one  of  my  earlier  letters,  that  the 
public  attention  is  now  every  where  turned  to  the  im- 
provement of  female  education.  In  some  states,  colleges 
for  girls  are  established  under  the  eye  of  the  legislature, 
in  which  are  taught  all  those  important  branches  of 
knowledge  that  your  friend  Dr.  Rush  conceived  to  be  so 
requisite. 

In  other  countries  it  may  seem  of  little  consequence  to 
inculcate  upon  the  female  mind  "the  principles  of  go- 
vernment, and  the  obligations  of  patriotism  ;"  but  it  was 
wisely  foreseen  by  that  venerable  apostle  of  liberty,  that 
in  a  country  where  a  mother  is  charged  with  the  forma- 
tion of  an  infant  mind  that  is  to  be  called  in  future  to 
judge  of  the  laws  and  support  the  liberties  of  a  republic, 
the  mother  herself  should  well  understand  those  laws,  and 
estimate  those  liberties.  Personal  accomplishments  and 
the  more  ornamental  branches  of  knowledge  should  cer- 
tainly in  America  be  made  subordinate  to  solid  informa- 
tion. This  is  perfectly  the  case  with  respect  to  the  men ; 
as  yet  the  women  have  been  educated  too  much  after  the 
European  manner.  French,  Italian,  dancing,  drawing, 
engage  the  hours  of  the  one  sex,  (and  this  but  too  com- 
monly in  a  lax  and  careless  way,)  while  the  more  appro- 
priate studies  of  the  other  are  philosophy,  history,  politi- 
cal economy,  and  the  exact  sciences ;  it  follows,  conse- 
quently, that  after  the  spirits  of  youth  have  somewhat 
subsided,  the  two  sexes  have  less  in  common,  in  their 


312  CONDITION  OF   WOMEN*. 

pursuits  and  turn  of  thinking  than  is  desirable ;  a  woman  of 
a  powerful  intellect  will  of  course  seize  upon  the  new  topics 
presented  to  her  by  the  conversation  of  her  husband.  The 
less  vigorous,  or  the  more  thoughtless  mind,  is  not  easily 
brought  to  forego  trifling  pursuits  for  those  which  occupy 
the  stronger  reason  of  its  companion. 

I  must  remark,  that  in  no  particular  is  the  liberal  phi- 
losophy of  the  Americans  more  honourably  evinced  than 
in  the  place  which  is  awarded  to  women.  The  prejudices 
still  to  be  found  in  Europe,  though  now  indeed  somewhat 
antiquated,  which  would  confine  the  female  library  to 
romances,  poetry,  and  belles  lettres,  and  female  conver- 
sation to  the  last  new  publication,  new  bonnet,  and  pas 
seul,  are  entirely  unknown  here.  The  women  are  as- 
suming their  place  as  thinking  beings,  not  in  despite  of 
the  men,  but  chiefly  in  consequence  of  their  enlarged 
views  and  exertions  as  fathers  and  legislators. 

I  may  seem  to  be  swerving  a  little  from  my  subject  • 
but  as  I  have  adverted  to  the  place  accorded  to  women 
in  one  particular,  I  may  as  well  now  reply  to  your  ques- 
tion regarding  their  general  condition.  It  strikes  me  that 
it  would  be  impossible  for  women  to  stand  in  higher  esti- 
mation than  they  do  here.  The  deference  that  is  paid  to 
them  at  all  times  and  in  all  places  has  often  occasioned 
me  as  much  surprise  as  pleasure. 

In  domestic  life  there  is  a  tenderness  on  the  part  of  the 
husband  to  his  weaker  helpmate,  and  this  in  all  situations 
of  life  that  I  believe  in  no  country  is  surpassed,  and  in 
few  equalled.  No  cavaliere  servente  of  a  lady  of  fashion, 
no  sighing  lover,  who  has  just  penned  a  sonnet  to  his 
"  mistress's  eyebrow,"  ever  rendered  more  delicate  at- 
tentions to  the  idol  of  his  fancy  than  I  have  seen  rendered 
by  an  American  farmer  or  mechanic,  not  to  say  gentle- 
man, to  the  companion  of  his  life.  The  wife  and  daugh- 
ters of  the  labouring  citizen  are  always  found  neatly 
dressed  and  occupied  at  home  in  household  concerns  :  no 


CONDITION  OF  WOMEN.  313 

field  labour  is  ever  imposed  upon  a  woman ;  and  I  believe 
thai  it  would  outrage  the  feelings  of  an  American,  what- 
ever be  his  station,  should  he  see  her  engaged  in  any  toil 
seemingly  unsuited  to  her  strength.  In  travelling,  I  have 
myself  often  met  with  a  refinement  of  civility  from  men, 
whose  exterior  promised  only  the  roughness  of  the  me- 
chanic, or  working  farmer,  that  I  should  only  have  looked 
for  from  the  polished  gentleman. 

Perhaps  the  condition  of  women  affords,  in  all  countries, 
the  best  criterion  by  which  to  judge  of  the  character  of 
men.     Where  we  find  the  weaker  sex  burdened   with 
hard  labour,  we  may  ascribe  to  the  stronger  something  of 
the  savage  ;  and  where  we  see  the  former  deprived  of  free 
agency,  we  shall  find  in  the  latter  much  of  the  sensualist. 
J  know  nqt  a  circumstance  which  more  clearly  marks  in 
England  the  retrograde  movement  of  the  national  morals 
than  the  shackles  now  forged  for  the  rising  generation  of 
women.      Perhaps  these  are  as  yet  more  exclusively  laid 
upon,  what  are  termed,  the  highest  class ;  but  I  apprehend 
that  thousands  of  our  countrywomen  in  the  middle  ranks, 
whose  mothers,  or  certainly  whose  grandmothers,  could 
ride  unattended  from  the  Land's  End  to  the  border,  and 
walk  abroad  alone,  or  with  an  unmarried  friend  of  the. 
other  sex,  armed  with  all  the  unsuspecting  virtue  of  Eve 
before   her  fall ;  —  I  apprehend   that  the  children   and 
grandchildren  of  these  nations  are  now  condemned  to 
walk  in  leading-strings  from  the  cradle  to  the  altar,  if  not; 
to  the  grave,  —  taught  to  see  in  the  other  sex  a  race  of 
seducers  rather  than  protectors,  aijd  of  masters  rather  than 
companions.     Alas  for  the  morals  of  a  country  when  fe- 
male dignity  is  confounded  with  helplessness,  and  the 
guardianship  of  a  woman's  virtue  transferred  from  herself 
to  others!  If  any  should  doubt  the  effect  produced  by  the  in- 
fringement of  female  liberty  upon  the  female -mind,  let  them 
consider  the  dress  of  the  present  generation  of  English 
women.     This  will  sufficiently  settle  the  question  without 

42 


CONDITION  OF  WO.Ali 

a,  reference  to  the  pages  of  the  daily  journals.  Of  the  tu  o 
extremes  it  is  better  to  see  a  woman,  as  in  Scotland,  bent 
over  the  glebe,  mingling  the  sweat  of  her  brow  with  that 
of  her  churlish  husband  or  more  churlish  son,  than  to  see 
her  gradually  sinking  into  the  childish  dependence  of  a 
Spanish  donna. 

The  liberty  here  enjoyed  by  the  young  women  often 
(x-easions  some  surprise  to  foreigners ;  who,  contrasting 
it  with  the  constraint  imposed  on  the  female  youth  of  Pa- 
ris or  London,  are  at  a  loss  to  reconcile  the  freedom  of  the 
national  manners  with  the  purity  of  the  national  morals : 
but  confidence  and  innocence  are  twin  sisters ;  and  should 
the  American  women  ever  resign  the  guardianship  of 
their  own  virtue,  the  lawyers  of  these  democracies  will 
probably  find  as  good  occupation  in  prosecuting  suits  for 
divorce  as  those  of  any  of  the  monarchies  of  Europe.* 

I  often  lament,  that  in  the  rearing  of  women,  so  little- 
attention  should  be  commonly  paid  to  the  exercise  of  the 
bodily  organs  ;  to  invigorate  the  body  is  to  invigorate  the 
mind,  and  Heaven  knows  that  the  weaker  sex  have  much 
cause  to  be  rendered  strong  in  both.  In  the  happiest 
country  their  .condition  is  sufficiently  hard.  Have  they 
talents?  It  is  difficult  to  turn  them  to  account.  Ambi- 
tion ?  The  road  to  honourable  distinction  is  shut  against 
them.  A  vigorous  intellect  ?  It  is  broken  down  by  suf- 

'*  The  law  of  divorce  is  one  so  little  referred  to  in  America  that  it  never 
occurred  to  me  to  hear  or  inquire  how  it  stood.  In  the  state  of  Rhode- 
Island,  however,  there  is  a  very  singular  regulation.  As  it  was  explained  to 
me:  —  if  a  married  couple  shall,  give  in  to  the  civil  magistrate  a  mutual  de- 
claration, that  they  are  desirous  of  separating,  from  (as  the  French  would 
express  it)  incompatibility,  and  shall  then  live  entirely  apart,  but  within  tha 
precincts  of  the  state,  for  two  full  years,  conducting  themselves  with  proprie- 
ty during  that  period,  they  may  obtain,  upon  application,  a  disannulinent  of 
the  marriage  contract.  I  was  surprised  to  hear  that  few  had  ever  sought  the 
benefit  of  the  act ;  and  that  of  those  who  had  applied  for  it,  some  had  broken 
the  exacted  stipulations  before  the  expiration  of  the  two  years.  Might  it  not 
tend  to  cement  rather  than  weaken  the  marriage  tie  throughout  the  world,  if 
rvery  country  had  a  Rhode-Island  ? 


CONDITION  OP  WOMEN.  315 

ferings,  bodily  and  mental.  The  lords  of  creation  receive 
innumerable,  incalculable  advantage  from  the  hand  of 
nature ;  and  it  must  be  admitted,  that  they  every  where 
take  sufficient  care  to  foster  the  advantages  with  which 
they  are  endowed.  There  is  something  so  flattering  to 
human  vanity  in  the  consciousness  of  superiority,  that  it  is 
little  surprising  if  men  husband  with  jealousy  that  which 
nature  has  enabled  them  to  usurp  over  the  daughters  of 
Eve.  Love  of  power  more  frequently  originates  in  vanity 
than  pride,  (two  qualities,  by  the  way,  which  are  often 
confounded,)  and  is,  consequently,  yet  more  peculiarly 
the  sin  of  little  than  of  great  minds.  Now,  an  overwhelm- 
ing proportion  of  human  minds  appertain  to  the  former 
class,  and  must  be  content  to  sooth  their  self-love  by 
considering  the  weakness  of  others  rather  than  their  own 
strength.  You  will  say,  this  is  severe  ;  is  it  not  true  ? 
In  what  consists  the  greatness  of  a  despot  ?  In  his  own 
intrinsic  merits  ?  No  ;  in  the  degradation  of  the  multi- 
tude who  surround  him.  What  feeds  the  vanity  of  a  pa- 
trician ?  The  consciousness  of  any  virtue  that  he  inherits 
with  his  blood  ?  The  list  of  his  senseless  progenitors  would 
probably  soon  cease  to  command  his  respect  if  it  did  not 
enable  him  to  command  that  of  his  fellow  creatures. 
<;  But  what,?'  I  hear  you  ask,  "  has  this  to  do  with  the 
condition  of  women  ?  Do  you  mean  to  compare  men  col- 
lectively to  the  despot  and  the  patrician  ?"  Why  not  ? 
The  vanity  of  the  despot  and  the  patrician  is  fed  by  the 
folly  of  their  fellow  men,  and  so  is  that  of  their  sex  col- 
lectively soothed  by  the  dependence  of  women :  it  pleases 
them  better  to  find  in  their  companion  a  fragile  vine,  cling- 
ing to  their  firm  trunk  for  support ;  than  a  vigorous  tree 
with  whose  branches  they  it.ay  mingle  theirs.  I  believe 
they  sometimes  repent  of  their  choice  when  the  vine  has 
weighed  the  oak  to  the  ground.  It  is  difficult,  in  walking 
through  the  world,  not  to  laugh  at  the  consequences 
which,  sooner  or  later,  overtake  men's  follies ;  but 


316  CONDITION  OF  WO.MKN. 

these  arc  visited  u'pon  women  I  feel  more  disposed  to  sigh. 
Born  to  endure  the  worst  afflictions  of  fortune,  they  arc- 
enervated  in  soul  and  body  lest  the  storm  should  not  visit 
them  sufficiently  rudely.  Instead  of  essaying  to  counter- 
act the  unequal  law  of  nature,  it  seems  the  object  of  man 
to  visit  it  upon  his  weaker  helpmate  more  harshly ;  it  is 
well,  however,  that  his  folly  recoils  upon  his  own  head  ; 
and  that  the  fate  of  the  sexes  is  so  entwined,  that  the  dig- 
nity of  the  one  must  rise  or  fall  with  that  of  the  other. 

In  America  much  certainly  is  done  to  meliorate  the 
condition  of  women  ;  and  as  their  education  shall  become, 
more  and  more,  the  concern  of  the  state,  their  character 
may  aspire  in  each  succeeding  generation  to  a  higher 
standard.  The  republic,  I  am  persuaded,  will  be  amply 
repaid  for  any  trouble  or  expense  that  may  be  thus  be- 
stowed. In  her  straggles  for  liberty,  much  of  her  virtue 
emanated  from  the  w  ives  and  daughters  of  her  senators 
and  soldiers,  and  to  preserve  to  her  sons  the  energy  of 
freemen  and  patriots,  she  must  strengthen  that  energy  in 
her  daughters.* 

To  invigorate  the  character,  however,  it  is  not  sufficient 
to  cultivate  the  mind.  The  body  also  must  be  trained  to 
wholesome  exercise,  and  the  nerves  braced  to  bear  those 
extremes  of  climate  which  here  threaten  to  enervate  the 
more  weakly  frame.  It  is  the  union  of  bodily  and  men- 
tal vigour  in  the  male  population  of  America  which  im- 
parts to  it  that  peculiar  energy  of  character  which  in  its 
first  infancy  drew  forth  so  splendid  a  panegyric  from  the 
British  orator :  "  What  in  the  world  is  equal  to  it  ?"  ex- 
claimed Mr.  Burke, "  whilst  we  follow  them  (the  colonists) 
among  the  tumbling  mountains  of  ice,  and  behold  them 
penetrating  into  the  deepest  frozen  recesses  of  Hudson's 

In  the  revolutionary  war  the  enthusiasm  of  the  women  is  acknowledged 
to  have  greatly  assisted  that  of  the  men.  In  all  successful  struggles  for  li- 
bnrty  I  believe  the  same  co-operation  of  the  sexes  will  be  found  to  have 
existed. 


CONDITION  OF  WOMEN.  317 

Bay  and  Davis'  Streights,  whilst  we  are  looking  for  them 
beneath  the  arctic  circle,  we  hear  that  they  have  pierced 
into  the  opposite  region  of  polar  cold,  that  they  are  at  the 
antipodes,  and  engaged  under  the  frozen  serpent  of  the 
south.  Falkland  Island,  which  seemed  too  remote  and 
romantic  an  object  for  the  grasp  of  national  ambition,  is 
but  a  stage  and  resting  place  in  the  progress  of  their  vic- 
torious industry ;  nor  is  the  equinoctial  heat  more  dis" 
couraging  to  them  than  the  accumulated  winter  of  both 
the  poles.  We  know  that  while  some  of  them  draw  the 
line  and  strike  the  harpoon  on  the  coast  of  Africa,  others 
run  the  longitude,  and  pursue  their  gigantic  game  along 
the  coast  of  Brazil.  No  sea  but  what  is  vexed  by  their 
fisheries  ;  no  climate  that  is  not  witness  to  their  toils."* 
Now,  though  it  is  by  no  means  requisite  that  the  Ame- 
rican women  should  emulate  the  men  in  the  pursuit  of  the 
whale,  the  felling  of  the  forest,  or  the  shooting  of  wild 
turkeys,  they  might,  with  advantage,  be  taught  in  early 
youth  to  excel  in  the  race,  to  hit  a  mark,  to  swim,  and,  in 
sliort,  to  use  every  exercise  which  could  impart  vigour  to 
their  frames  and  independence  to  their  minds.  But  I 
have  dwelt  enough  upon  this  subject,  and  you  will,  per- 
haps, apprehend  that  I  am  about  to  subjoin  a  Utopian 
plan  of  national  education :  no  ;  I  leave  this  to  the  re- 
public herself;  and,  wishing  all  success  to  her  endeavours, 
I  bid  you  farewell. 

*  Speech  on 'conciliation  with  America. 


318 


LETTER  XXIV. 


BELIOION. TEMPER  OF    THE  DIFFERENT  SECTS. ANEC- 
DOTES. 


New-York,  March,  1820. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

YES,  it  is  somewhat  curious  how  travellers  contradict 
leach  other.  One  says  things  are  white,  and  another  that 
they  are  black  ;  some  write  that  the  Americans  have  no 
religion,  and  others  that  they  are  a  race  of  fanatics.  One 
traveller  tells  us,  that  they  are  so  immersed  in  the  affairs 
of  the  republic  as  not  to  have  a  word  to  throw  at  a  stran- 
ger, and  another,  that  they  never  think  about  politics  at 
all,  and  talk  nonsense*  eternally.  *  *  *  *  mav 


*  Compare  Mr.  Fearon  and  Lieutenant  Hall  upon  this  subject.  It  appears 
to  me,  however,  that  both  are  equally  far  from  the  truth.  That  the  Ameri- 
cans never  trouble  themselves  about  the  affairs  of  the  nation,  which  is  the 
assertion  of  the  former,  seems  scarcely  to  merit  refutation.  That  they  are 
so  immersed  in  them  as  to  be  "  habitually  serious  and  silent,"  surely  found 
its  way  into  the  pages  of  the  latter  after  an  evening  passed  with  some  citizen, 
of  whom  nature  had  made  an  original.  But  if  this  observation,  as  applied  to 
the  men,  appears  strange,  when  applied  to  the  women,  it  appears  absolutely 
incomprehensible.  I  think  this  intelligent  officer  was  looking  at  the  Marquis 
de  Chastellux,  instead  of  the  young  women  of  New-York  and  Philadelphia, 
when  he  drew  his  portrait  of  them  :  —  or,  perhaps,  it  was  thai  they  mistook 
him  for  the  Marquis.  The  licentious  pen  of  the  French  nobleman  knew  how 
to  traduce  those  who  gave  way  to  the  innocent  gayety  of  tlieir  hearts  in  his 
presence,  as  well  as  to  ridicule  those  who  had  awed  him  by  their  reserve.* 
Perhaps  the  young  women  of  America  are  now  somewhat  too  suspicious  of 
European  cavaliers.  I  have  often  perceived  that  the  entrance  of  a  foreign 
traveller  into  a  party  has  damped  the  hilarity  of  the  evening. 

*  See  the  travels  of  Brissot  de  Warville. 


RELIGION.  31$ 

ask  what  he  is  to  believe ;  but  he  flatters  me  too  much  if 
he  be  willing  to  refer  the  matter  to  my  decision.  He  may 
argue  thus,  however,  for  himself:  if  the  Americans  had 
no  religion,  it  is  to  be  presumed  they  would  have  no 
churches ;  and  if  they  were  a  race  of  fanatics,  it  is  equally 
to  be  presumed  that  they  would  force  people  to  go  into 
them.  We  know  tjiat  they  have  churches,  and  do  not 
force  people  to  go  into  them,  nor  force  people  to  pay  for 
them,  and  yet  they  are  paid  for,  and  filled. 

It  is  impossible  to  apply  any  general  rule  to  so  wide 
spread  a  community  as  this.  Perhaps  Selden's  were  the 
best :  "  Religion  is  like  the  fashion.  One  man  wears  his 
doublet  slashed,  another  laced,  another  plain,  but  every 
man  has  a  doublet.  So  every  man  has  his  religion. 
They  differ  about  trimming."  But  we  cannot  subjoin 
another  axiom  of  the  same  philosopher ;  "  Every  religion 
is  a  getting  religion."  It  gets  nothing  ;  and  so,  whatever 
it  be,  it  is  sincere  and  harmless. 

Some  contend  that  liberality  is  only  indifference ;  per- 
haps, as  a  general  rule,  it  may  be  so.  Persecution  un- 
doubtedly fans  zeal,  but  such  zeal  as  it  is  usually  better 
to  be  without.  I  do  not  perceive  any  want  of  religion  in 
America.  There  are  sections  of  the  country  where  some 
might  think  there  is  too  much,  at  least  that  its  temper 
is  too  stern  and  dogmatical.  This  has  long  been  said  of 
'  New-England,  and,  undoubtedly,  the  Puritan  ancestry  of 
her  citizens  is  still  discernible  as  well  in  the  coldness  of 
their  manners,  as  in  the  rigidity  of  their  creed.  But  it 
is  wonderful  how  fast  these  distinctions  are  disappearing. 
An  officer  of  the  American  Navy,  a  native  of  New-Eng- 
land, told  me,  that  when  a  boy  he  had  sooner  dared  to 
pick  a  neighbour's  pocket  on  a  Saturday,  than  to  have 
smiled  on  a  Sunday.  "  I  have  since  travelled  through 
all  parts  of  the  Union,  and  over  a  great  part  of  the  world, 
and  have  learned,  consequently,  that  there  are  all  ways 


320  RELIGION. 

of  thinking ;  and  1  find  now  that  my  fellow  countrymen 
are  learning  the  same." 

You  will  conceive  how  great  is  the  change  wrought  in 
the  religious  temper  of  the  Eastern  States,  when  I  men- 
tion, that  the  Unitarian  faith  has  been  latterly  introduced, 
and,  in  some  parts,  has  made  such  rapid  progress  as  pro- 
mises, ere  long,  to  supersede  the  doctrines  of  Calvin. 
There  were,  of  course,  some  vehement  pulpit  fulmina- 
tions  in  Massachusetts  when  these  mild  teachers  of  mo- 
rals and  simple  Christianity  first  made  their  appearance. 
But,  fortunately,  Calvin  could  no  longer  burn  Servetus, 
however  much  he  might  scold  at  him  ;  and,  having  scold- 
ed till  he  was  tired,  he  laid  down  the  "  drum  ecclesiastic," 
and  left  his  gentle  adversary  to  lead  his  flock  to  heaven 
after  his  own  way.     This  affords,  I  believe,  the  only  in- 
stance of  war  waged  by  American  theologians  since  the 
days  of  the  revolution.     Polemics,  indeed,  is  not  a  science 
at  all  in  fashion ;  nor  ever  likely  to  be  so.    Where  no  law 
says  what  is  orthodoxy,  no  man  is  entitled  to  say  what  is 
heresy;  or,  if  he  should  assume  to  himself  the' right,  it  is 
clear  that  he  will  only  be  laughed  at.     It  required,  how- 
ever, some  years  to  satisfy  the  whole  American  communi- 
ty of  this  fact.     Although  few  cared  to  contend  for  the 
doctrine  of  the  Trinity  with  the  vehemence  of  the  Cal- 
vinists  of  Massachusetts,  the  Unitarians  had  still  some 
prejudices  to  encounter  in  other  parts  of  the  Union.    Phi- 
ladelphia, and  even  New- York,  had  their  zealots  as  well 
as  Boston.     In  the  latter  city,  there  were  few,  but  per- 
haps more  noisy  on  that  very  account.     It  is  some  years 
since,  a  Calvinistic  preacher  here  exclaimed  to  the  non- 
elect  of  his  congregation,  "  Ha !  ha !  you  think  to  get 
through  the  gates  of  heaven,  by  laying  hold  of  my  coat ; 
but  I'll  take  care  to  hold  up  the  skirts."     Such  an  inti- 
mation, we  may  suppose,  not  much  calculated  to  con- 
ciliate the  vacillating  heretics.     The  teacher  who  points 
the  way  to  heaven  through  paths  of  peage,.  and  by  the 


RELIGION.  321 

candour  and  gentleness  of  his  judgments,  leads  us  to  wor- 
ship with  him  a  God  of  love  and  mercy,  may  easily  draw 
into  his  fold  the  children  of  such  a  merciless  fanatic. 

American  religion,  of  whatever  sect,  (and  it  includes  all 
the  sects  under  heaven,)  is  of  a  quiet  and  unassuming  cha- 
racter ;  no  way  disputatious,  even  when  more  doctrinal 
than  the  majority  may  think  wise.  I  do  not  include  the 
strolling  methodists  and  shaking  quakers,  and  sects  with 
unutterable  names  and  deranged  imaginations,  who  are 
found  in  some  odd  corners  of  this  wide  world,  beating 
time  to  the  hymns  of  Mother  Ann,  and  working  out  the 
millennium  by  abstaining  from  marriage.* 

The  perfect  cordiality  of  all  the  various  religious  fra- 
ternities might  sometimes  lead  a  stranger  to  consider  their 
members  as  more  indifferent  to  the  faith  they  so  quietly 
profess  than  they  really  are.  There  is  undoubtedly  a  con- 
siderable body  scattered  through  the  community,  who  are 
attached  to  no  establishment ;  but  as  they  never  trouble 
their  neighbours  with  their  opinions,  neither  do  their  neigh- 
bours trouble  them  with  theirs.  The  extent  to  which  this 
liberality  is  carried,  even  by  the  most  dogmatical  of  the 
churches,  is  now  well  evinced  in  New-England.  In  one 
or  two  of  her  theological  colleges,  the  practice  continued, 
till  within  some  years,  of  inculcating  one  creed  exclusive- 
ly under  the  protection  of  the  legislature ;  but  the  legisla- 
ture have  now  left  teachers  and  students  to  themselves, 
and  even  Connecticut  has  finally  done  awvy  the  last 
shadow  of  the  privileges  of  her  congregationalists.  It 
really  does  seem  possible  for  fanaticism,  or  something  very 
like  it,  and  liberality  to  go  together.  It  is  not  long  since, 
in  some  of  the  New-England  states,  there  was  an  edict  in 

*  The  Shakers,  as  they  are  called,  emigrated  to  America  some  forty  years 
ago.  Ann  Lee,  or  Mother  Ann,  their  spiritual  leader,  was  a  neice  of  the 
celebrated  General  Lee,  who  took  so  active  a  part  in  the  war  of  the  revolu- 
tion. She  became  deranged,  as  it  is  said,  from  family  misfortunes  ;  fancied 
herself  a  second  Virgin  Mary,  and  found  followers,  as  Joanna  Southcote  and 
Jemima  Wilkinson  did  after  her. 

43 


322  KELIG10.N. 

force,  that  no  man  should  travel  on  a  Sunday ;  and  this, 
while  all  men  were  eligible  to  the  highest  honours  of  the 
state,  let  them  believe  or  disbelieve  as  little  or  as  much  as 
they  might.* 

Alluding  to  this  edict  recalls  to  me  the  adventure  of  a 
Pennsylvania  farmer,  which,  as  it  may  elucidate  the  good 
humour  with  which  this  people  yield  to  the  whims  of 
each  other,  I  will  repeat  to  you. 

The  good  farmer  was  bound  on  his  way  to  Boston, 
and  found  himself  within  the  precincts  of  Connecticut  on 
a  Sunday  morning.  Aware  of  the  law  of  Calvin,  but 
still  being  in  haste  to  proceed,  our  traveller  thought  of 
shifting  himself  from  the  back  of  his  steed  into  the  mail 
which  chanced  to  overtake  him,  and  which,  appertaining 
to  the  United  States,  was  not  under  the  law  of  Connecti- 
cut. The  driver  advised  him  to  attach  his  steed  to  the 
back  of  the  vehicle,  thinking  that  when  they  should  have 
passed  through  a  certain  town  which  lay  before  them,  the 
honest  farmer  might  remount  in  safety ;  but,  as  ill  luck 
would  have  it,  the  citizens  were  just  stepping  forth  from 
their  doors,  on  their  way  to  church,  when  the  graceless 
horse,  with  a  saddle  on  his  back,  passed  before  them. 
Stopping  at  the  inn,  a  citizen  made  up  to  the  side  of  the 
vehicle,  and  civilly  demanded  if  the  horse  was  his ;  and  if 
he  was  aware  that  the  sabbath  was  a  day  of  rest,  not  on- 
ly by  the  law  of  God,  but  by  the  law  of  Connecticut. 
The  Pennsylvanian  as  civilly  replied,  that  the  horse  was 
his ;  begged  to  return  thanks  in  his  name  for  the  care 
shown  to  his  ease  and  his  morals  ;  and  offered  to  surren- 
der the  keeping  of  both  until  his  return,  to  the  individual 
who  addressed  him.  "  I  will  most  willingly  lodge  the 

*  The  constitutions  of  two  or  three  of  the  states  require,  that  the  chief  offi- 
cers shall  be  Christians,  or,  at  least,  believe  in  a  God  ;  but,  as  no  religious 
test  is  enforced,  the  law  is,  in  fact,  a  dead  letter.  By  the  constitution  of  every 
state  in  the  Union,  an  affirmation  is  equal  to  an  oath  ;  it  is  at  the  option  of 
the  asseverator  either  to  invoke  the  name  of  God,  or  to  affirm,  under  the 
pains  and  penalties  of  the  law,  in  cases  of  breach  of  faith. 


RELIGION.  323 

horse  in  my  stable,  and  his  master  in  my  house,"  return- 
ed the  other  ;  "  but  the  people  will  not  see  with  pleasure 
the  beast  keeping  the  commandments,  and  the  man 
breaking  them."  "  Well,  friend ;  then  beast  and  man 
shall  keep  them  together.  I  will  eat  your  dinner,  and 
he  shall  eat  your  hay;  and,  to  begin  things  properly, 
you  shall  show  him  to  the  stable,  and  his  master  to  the 
church."  The  compact  was  fufilled  to  the  satisfaction  of 
all  parties ;  the  Pennsylvanian  only  allowing  himself, 
through  the  day,  gently  to  animadvert  upon  this  abridg- 
ment of  the  liberties  of  the  citizens  of  the  United  States, 
by  the  decree  of  the  citizens  of  Connecticut,  which  might 
not  always  be  as  agreeable  to  them  as,  in  this  case,  it  was  to 
him ;  and  departed  the  next  morning,  assuring  his  host  that 
he  should  be  happy  to  repay  his  hospitality  to  him  or  his 
friends,  whenever  either  might  choose  to  travel  his  way 
on  a  Sunday,  or  a  Saturday,  or  any  day  of  the  seven. 

Some  years  afterwards,  standing  one  Sunday  morning 
at  the  gate  of  his  own  farm,  in  Pennsylvania,  he  percei- 
ved a  man  riding  along  the  road,  and  driving  before  him 
a  small  flock  of  sheep.  As  he  approached,  our  farmer 
recognized  him  for  a  neighbour  of  his  ci-devant  host  in 
Connecticut.  "  Ah,  friend !  that's  an  odd  occupation  you 
are  following  on  a  Sunday !"  "  True,"  replied  the  man 
of  New-England,  "  and  so  I  have  chosen  a  by-road,  that 
I  may  not  offend  the  scrupulous."  "  Yes,  friend;  but  sup- 
posing you  offend  me  ?  and  supposing,  too,  that  the  Penn- 
sylvania legislature  should  have  passed  a  law  which 
comes  in  force  this  day,  that  neither  man  nor  beast  shall 
travel  on  a  Sunday  ?"  "  Oh !"  replied  the  other,  "  I  have 
no  intention  to  disobey  your  laws ;  if  that  be  the  case,  I 
will  put  up  at  the  next  town."  "  No,  no ;  you  may  just 
put  up  here.  I  will  show  your  sheep  to  the  stable,  and, 
if  you  be  willing,  yourself  to  the  church."  This  was 
done  accordingly  ;  and  the  next  morning  the  Pennsylva- 
nian, shaking  hands  with  his  Connecticut  friend,  begged 


324  RELIGION. 

him  to  inform  his  old  acquaintance,  when  he  should  rer 
turn  home,  that  the  traveller  and  his  horse  had  not  for  - 
gotten  their  sabbath-day's  rest  in  his  dwelling,  and  that, 
unbacked  by  a  law  of  the  legislature,  they  had  equally 
enforced  the  law  of  God  upon  his  neighbour  and  his  neigh- 
bour's sheep. 

There  is  a  curious  spirit  of  opposition  in  the  human 
mind.  I  see  your  papers  full  of  anathemas  against  blas- 
phemous pamphlets.  We  have  no  such  things  here ;  and 
why  ?  Because  every  man  is  free  to  write  them ;  and  be- 
cause every  man  enjoys  his  own  opinion,  without  any  ar- 
guing about  the  matter.  Where  religion  never  arms  the 
hand  of  power,  she  is  never  obnoxious  ;  where  she  is 
seated  modestly  at  the  domestic  hearth,  whispering  peace 
and  immortal  hope  to  infancy  and  age,  she  is  always  re- 
spected, even  by  those  who  may  not  themselves  feel  the 
force  of  her  arguments.  This  is  truly  the  case  here ;  and 
the  world  has  my  wish,  and,  I  am  sure,  yours  also,  that  it 
may  be  the  case  every  where. 


325 


LETTER  XXV. 


ACCOUNT    OF    COLONEL    HUGER. OBSERVATIONS    ON    THE 

CLIMATE,  &C. 

New-Jersey,  April,  1820. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

I  AM  happy  to  have  it  in  my  power  to  reply  to  the  ques- 
tion contained  in  the  letter  now  before  me,  and  this  with- 
out any  trouble,  as  I  am  so  fortunate  as  to  be  intimately 
acquainted  with  some  near  relatives  of  the  individual 
about  whom  you  inquire. 

Colonel  Huger  is  a  native  of  South-Carolina,  and  the 
member  of  a  family  remarkable  (so  far  at  least  as  my 
acquaintance  with  it  extends)  for  ardour  of  character  and 
distinguished  talents.  He  passed  to  London  in  his  youth 
to  complete  his  medical  studies,  and  was  thus  engaged 
when  the  news  reached  him  of  the  seizure  and  imprison- 
ment of  General  La  Fayette,  whom  he  had  learned  from 
his  infancy  to  respect  as  the  companion  in  arms  of  his  fa- 
ther, and  the  champion  of  his  country's  liberties.  He  in- 
stantly conceived  the  project  of  devoting  his  time,  and,  if 
it  should  be  necessary,  his  life,  to  effect  the  rescue  of  the 
illustrious  captive.  Having  digested  his  scheme,  and 
finding  that  a  coadjutor  would  be  necessary,  he  took  into 
his  confidence  a  young  German,  a  companion  of  his  stu- 
dies, and  embarked  with  him  for  Holland.  The  story  of 
the  attempted  rescue,  as  commonly  told,  is  pretty  accu- 
rate ;  the  best  that  I  remember  to  have  seen,  was  in  a  num- 


326  COLONEL  HUGER. 

ber  of  the  Annual  Register.  I  suppose  you  are  acquainted 
with  the  incidents  which  defeated  the  scheme,  and  gave 
back  the  rescued  La  Fayette  to  his  prison,  and  made  his 
generous  deliverer  also  an  inhabitant  of  the  gloomy  dun- 
geons of  Olmutz.  The  sufferings  of  the  young  American, 
after  the  failure  of  the  attempt,  were  cruelly  severe; 
alone,  in  a  dank  and  stony  cell,  apprehensive  for  the  safety, 
even  for  the  life  of  La  Fayette,  uncertain  as  to  the  fate  of 
his  friend ;  now  cursing  his  own  rashness,  which  had  per- 
haps doubled  the  sufferings  of  him  he  came  to  rescue,  and 
now  the  untoward  chances  which  had  defeated  his  attempt 
when  so  near  success ;  —  this  fever  of  the  spirit  soon  fell 
on  the  blood,  and,  for  three  weeks,  delirium  rendered  him 
insensible  to  the  horrors  of  his  dungeon.  Without  assist- 
ance of  any  kind  that  he  can  recollect,  how  the  fever  left 
him,  he  knows  not ;  the  damps  and  confinement  ill  for- 
warded the  recovery  of  his  strength  -r  stretched  on  the^ 
stones,  he  sought  to  divert  his  mind  by  laying  plans  for  his 
future  life,  if  his  prison-doors  should  ever  be  opened,  but 
for  his  corpse.  What  is  singular,  he  has  followed  out  the 
mode  of  life  he  then  amused  himself  with  scheming. 

The  first  human  sound  that  reached  him  was  the  cry  of 
a  child  (for  the  keeper  who  supplied  him  with  bread  and 
water,  made  neither  query  nor  reply.)  .  "  A  child  !  then 
there  must  be  a  woman,  and  where  there  is  a  woman, 
there  may  be  compassion."  So  saying,  he  crawled  to- 
wards the  wall,  at  the  top  of  which  was  the  grate  that 
admitted  light,  air,  and  all  the  inclemencies  of  the  seasons; 
often  he  listened,  watched,  and  called,  till  at  last  a  wo- 
man's face  was  stooped  towards  the  grate;  he  tried 
French,  which  fortunately  she  could  reply  to.  "  You  are 
a  mother ;"  such  was  the  manner  of  his  address,  to  re- 
move her  scruples ;  "  I  have  a  mother,  for  her  sake  have 
pity  on  her  son  !"  After  a  good  deal  of  pathetic  entreaty, 
she  promised  to  bring  him  back  an  answer  to  his  inquiries, 
and  to  procure  for  him  a  German  grammar.  He  learned 


COLONEL  HUGER.  327 

that  his  friend  was  in  a  dungeon  in  the  same  fortress,  and 
that  La  Fayette  was  in  tolerable  health,  but  in  stricter 
confinement  than  ever.  The  grammar  was  squeezed 
through  the  bars,  another  book  was  afterwards  procured, 
and  thus  he  acquired  a  tolerable  knowledge  of  German. 
After  some  time,  he  told  his  visiter,  that  his  grammar  had 
afforded  him  so  much  amusement,  that  if  she  could  disco- 
ver the  grate  of  his  friend's  prison,  he  wished  she  would 
covey  it  to  him.  Having  in  vain  tried  to  make  intelligible 
marks  upon  the  paper,  he  made  some  with  a  piece  of 
mortar,  scraped  from  the  wall,  upon  a  black  silk  handker- 
chief that  he  took  from  his  neck,  and  in  which  he  folded 
the  grammar;  this,  with  a  good  deal  of  trouble,  was 
squeezed  again  through  the  bars,  and  in  a  few  days  was 
returned,  some  words  of  English  in  reply  having  been 
scraped  by  his  friend  upon  the  cover,  satisfying  Huger  as 
to  his  health.  The  grammar  was  his  only  amusement 
through  the  remaining  months  of  his  imprisonment,  which 
were  in  all  eight.  The  representations  of  Washington 
procured  his  release,  after  a  trial  where  he  pleaded  his 
own  cause  in  French  :  it  was  short,  and  simply,  but  elo- 
quently stated,  that  he  and  his  friend  had  no  accomplices, 
and  no  motives  but  those  supplied  by  their  own  enthusi- 
asm ;  that  he  had  not  sought  to  rescue  a  state-prisoner. 
but  the  friend  of  his  father,  of  his  country,  and  of  mankind ; 
to  procure  whose  release,  he  would  then  willingly  return 
to  his  dungeon,  and  to  save  whose  life,  he  would  joyfully 
give  his  own.  Having  concluded,  the  judge  (whose 
German  title  I  forget,)  ordered  him  to  leave  the  place 
within  so  many  hours,  and  to  be  out  of  Germany  within 
so  many  days;  and,  then,  leaving  his  seat,  and  approach- 
ing him,  he  said,  "  Young  man,  you  are  chargeable  with 
singular  rashness,  but  I  tell  you,  that,  had  I  to  search  the 
world  for  a  friend,  from  what  I  have  heard  this  day,  I 
would  seek  him  in  America." 

1  may  mention  that  the  young  prisoner  came  from  his 


328  COLONEL  HUGEK. 

dungeon  almost  entirely  bald,  and  that  though  the  strength 
of  his  constitution  soon  removed  all  the  other  effects  of  his 
unwholesome  confinement,  he  never  recovered  his  hair : 
this,  contrasted  with  the  youth  and  animation  of  his  coun- 
tenance, gave  him  for  many  years  a  very  singular  appear- 
ance. Returning  to  his  country,  misfortune  seemed  to 
follow  him ;  entering  the  house  of  his  brother,  a  bow-win- 
dow from  the  upper  story  fell  on  his  head ;  for  thirteen 
days  he  lay  insensible,  attended  by  his  brother  with  ago- 
nized affection.  What  struck  me  as  a  fine  instance  of 
greatness  of  mind,  when  the  surgeon,  perceiving  the  skull 
to  be  injured,  proposed  trepanning,  which  he  thought 
might  save  life,  though  without  the  hope  of  preserving  the 
reason.  "  No,"  said  his  brother,  "  never  shall  he  live  to 
be  so  different  from  what  he  was.  I  know  his  soul,  and 
choose  for  him  in  preferring  death."  He  repaid  his  cares, 
however,  by  a  perfect  recovery,  when  his  brother,  who 
was  possesed  of  a  large  property,  entreated  him  to  share 
his  fortune;  this,  however,  he  strenuously  refused,  and 
settled  in  Charleston  as  a  physician.  Some  time  after- 
wards, he  became  attached  to  a  young  woman  of  a  re- 
spectable family  in  that  city.  Though  rising  into  emi- 
nence in  his  profession,  his  income  was  as  yet  small,  and 
she  had  nothing.  In  this  state  of  things,  he  determined 
not  to  venture  on  marriage,  until  his  increasing  practice 
should  enable  him  to  support  a  family.  These  circum- 
stances coming  to  the  knowledge  of  his  brother,  he  in- 
stantly bestowed  a  fortune  on  the  young  woman  ;  and  an 
obligation,  thus  delicately  conferred,  could  not  be  objected 
to  by  her  lover.  They  married,  and  Colonel  Huger  then 
determined  to  carry  into  effect  the  dreams  which  had 
amused  his  prison.  He  took  his  wife  to  a  farm  beyond 
the  mountains,  where  he  settled,  and  was  soon  the  father 
of  a  fine  boy.  The  child,  when  two  years  old,  sickened, 
and  his  knowledge  of  physic  satisfied  him  that  he  could 
not  recover;  he  reasoned  like  a  philosopher  with  the 


COLONEL  HUGER.  329 

doatmg  mother,  prepared  her  by  degrees  for  her  loss,  re- 
presented the  duty  she  owed  to  him,  which  should 
strengthen  her  to  struggle  with  her  grief,  and  submit  to  an 
irremediable  evil.  She  listened,  and  had  sufficient  strength 
of  mind  to  feel  the  weight  of  his  words.  She  herself  wrote 
the  news  of  her  loss  to  her  father.  "  My  husband  has 
exhorted  me  to  bear  it  as  became  your  daughter  and  his 
wife,  and  he  has  imparted  strength  to  me  to  do  so  ;  but, 
oh  !  what  calamity  is  there  for  which  his  affection  ought  not 
to  console  me !"  They  were  afterwards  more  fortunate  pa- 
rents. Colonel  Huger  has  been  the  tutor  of  his  children, 
who  obey  his  words  as  the  young  Spartans  those  of  Ly- 
curgus.  Trained  to  hardiness  and  independence,  inspired 
by  their  father  with  sentiments  of  patriotism,  and  clad  in 
garments  woven  by  their  own  domestics,  they  exhibit,  in 
their  manners  and  character,  that  simplicity  and  ardour 
which  form  the  true  characteristics  of  the  sons  and  daugh- 
ters of  a  republic.  Nor  is  it  only  when  excited  by  feel- 
ings of  peculiar  enthusiasm,  or  when  called  upon  to  per- 
form the  duties  of  a  husband,  a  father,  and  a  citizen,  that 
this  distinguished  individual  has  evinced  the  beauty  of  his 
character.  He  had  an  only  sister,  who,  some  years  after 
his  marriage,  fell  into  a  pitiable  state  of  health ;  change 
of  air  and  travelling  were  recommended  as  the  last  reme- 
dies :  his  brother  found  it  impossible  to  move  at  the  time, 
and  there  was  no  other  friend  or  relative  on  whom  could 
be  devolved  the  care  of  the  invalid.  Colonel  Huger  left 
his  farm,  came  to  Charleston,  deposited  his  wife  and  in- 
fant children  with  his  father-in-law,  became  the  travelling 
companion  and  physician  of  his  sister,  and  nearly  a  year 
after  brought  her  back  in  a  state  of  recovery,  joined  his 
family,  and  returned  to  his  estate. 

During  the  war,  when  a  descent  of  the  enemy  was  ex- 
pected on  some  of  the  great  cities  of  the  south,  and  then 
on  Savannah  rather  than  New-Orleans,  Colonel  Huger 
repaired  to  the  former.  Assembling  his  children  around 

44 


330  OBSERVATIONS    ON 

him  in  the  presence  of  their  mother,  he  explained  the  duty 
which  called  him  from  them.  "  My  country  and  your 
country  calls  me  to  its  defence.  I  go  with  a  willing  heart, 
commending  you  and  your  mother  to  it  and  to  heaven. 
Let  me  see  that  you,  on  your  side,  yield  your  father  with 
willing  hearts.  Now  embrace  me,  all  of  you,  without  a 
tear."  He  mounted  his  horse,  and  not  a  murmur  was 
heard;  even  the  youngest  tried  to  smile  as  their  beloved 
parent  rode  away ;  another  proudly  brushed  the  tear  from 
his  eye,  and  wished  that  he  was  old  enough  to  defend  his 
'  country.  Are  you  not  with  the  old  Romans  ? 


The  winter  has  now  finally  disappeared,  though  indeed 
we  had  pronounced  the  same  in  March ;  and  the  grass 
and  I  were  lifting  up  our  heads  together,  for  we  seem  to 
be  pretty  equally  dependant  on  the  warm  sun,  when  the 
demon  of  frost  threw  his  iron  sleets  into  the  lap  of  spring, 
or  I  should  rather  write  suminer,  for  nature  here  steps  at 
once  from  the  "  formless  wild"  to 

"  Brightening  fields  of  ether,  fair  disclos'd." 

This  is  a  climate  of  extremes ;  you  are  here  always  in 
heat  or  frost.  The  former  you  know  I  never  object  to, 
and  as  I  equally  dislike  the  latter,  I  should  perhaps  be 
an  unfair  reporter  of  both.  The  summer  is  glorious  ;  the  re- 
splendent sun  "shining  on,"  for  days  and  weeks  successive- 
ly ;  an  air  so  pure,  so  light,  and  to  me  so  genial,  that  I  wake 
as  it  were  to  a  new  existence.  I  have  seen  those  around 
me,  however,  often  drooping  beneath  fervours  which  have 
given  me  life.  By  the  month  of  August,  the  pale  cheeks 
and  slow  movements  of  the  American  women,  and  even 
occasionally  of  the  men,  seem  to  demand  the  invigorating 
breezes  of  the  Siberian  winter  to  brace  the  nerves  and 
quicken  the  current  of  the  blood.  The  severe  cold  which 
succeeds  to  this  extreme  of  heat,  appears  to  have  this 


THE  CLIMATE.  331 

effect,  and  seldom  to  produce,  excepting  upon  such  as 
may  be  affected  with  constitutional  weakness  of  the  lungs, 
any  effect  that  is  not  decidedly  beneficial.  Most  people 
will  pronounce  the  autumn  to  be  the  pride  of  the  Ameri- 
can year.  It  is  indeed  fraught  with  beauty  to  all  the 
senses  ;  the  brilliant  hues  then  assumed  by  nature,  from 
the  dwarf  sumac  with  his  berries  and  leaves  of  vivid  crim- 
son, up  to  the  towering  trees  of  the  forest,  twisting  their 
branches  in  extreme  and  whimsical  contrasts  of  gold,  red, 
green,  orange,  russet,  through  all  their  varieties  of  shade  ; 
the  orchards  too,  then  laden  with  treasures,  and  the  fields 
heavy  with  the  ripened  maize  ;  the  skies  bright  witli  all 
the  summer's  splendour,  yet  tempered  wTith  refreshing 
breezes ;  the  sun  sinking  to  rest  in  crimsons  whose  depth 
and  warmth  of  hue  the  painter  would  not  dare  to  imitate. 
This  glorious  season  is,  however,  not  the  most  wholesome, 
especially  in  the  uncleared  districts,  as  you  know  from  my 
last  year's  letters. 

The  winter ;  —  those  whom  it  likes,  may  like  it.  The 
season  has  its  beauty  and  its  pleasures.  Sparkling  skie^ 
shining  down  upon  sparkling  snows,  over  which  the  light 
sleighs,  peopled  with  the  young  and  the  gay,  bound  along 
to  the  chime  of  bells  which  the  horses  seem  to  bear  well 
pleased.  In  country  and  city,  this  is  the  time  of  amuse- 
ment ;  the  young  people  will  run  twenty  miles,  through 
the  biting  air,  to  the  house  of  a  friend ;  where  all  in  a  mo- 
ment is  set  astir ;  carpets  up,  music  playing,  and  yquths 
and  maidens,  laughing  and  mingling  in  the  mazy  dance, 
the  happiest  creatures  beneath  the  moon.  Is  it  the  bright 
climate,  or  the  liberty  that  reigns  every  where,  or  is  it  the 
absence  of  poverty  and  the  equal  absence  of  extreme 
wealth,  or  is  it  all  these  things  together  that  make  this 
people  so  cheerful  and  gay  hearted  ?  Whatever  be  the 
cause,  ill  befall  the  callous  heart  that  could  see  their  hap* 
piness  without  sympathy,  though  it  should  be  unable  to 
share  it ! 


332  OBSERVATIONS  ON 

The  spring;  —  there  is  properly  wo  spring;  there  is  a 
short  struggle  between  winter  and  summer ;  who  some- 
times fight  for  the  mastery  with  a  good  deal  of  obstinacy. 
\Ve  have  lately  seen  a  fierce  combat  between  these  two 
great  sovereigns  of  the  year.  In  the  latter  days  of  March, 
summer  suddenly  alighted  on  the  snows  in  the  full  flush 
of  July  heat ;  every  window  and  door  were  flung  open  to 
welcome  the  stranger,  and  the  trees  were  just  bursting 
into  leaf,  when  angry  winter  returned  to  the  field,  and 
poured  down  one  of  the  most  singular  showers  of  sleet  I 
ever  witnessed.  The  water,  freezing  as  it  fell,  cased 
every  branch  and  twig  in  chrystal  of  an  inch  thick,  so 
transparent  that  each  bud  appeared  distinctly  through  it ; 
in  some  places,  large  trees  gave  way  beneath  the  unusual 
burden,  their  heads  absolutely  touching  the  ground,  until 
their  trunks  snapped  in  twain.  Fortunately,  there  was 
no  wind,  or  the  devastation  would  have  been  dreadful ; 
it  has  been  cruel  enough  as  it  is,  boughs  and  branches 
every  where  strewing  the  ground,  and  stems  shattered  as 
if  by  lightning. 

I  am  not  sure  if,  even  in  our  island,  the  spring  does  not 
appear  to  more  advantage  in  description  than  in  reality. 
There  are,  indeed,  some  lovely  days  in  England,  when 
the  lark  carols,  unseen,  tit  tire  gates  of  heaven,  and  prim- 
roses and  cowslips  are  just  bursting  out  of  the  green- 
sward ;  the  April  sun  peeping  sweetly  forth  from  a  flying 
cloud ;  the  earth  and  heaven  all  breathing  freshness,  and 
fragrance,  and  mild  vernal  airs.  The  beautiful  valleys  of 
Devonshire  see  many  such  days  ;  but  the  island  generally 
sees  but  few,  or  at  least  there  are  so  many  fogs  and  biting 
winds  which  intervene  betwixt  them,  that  I  for  one,  have 
always  been  well  pleased  when 

"  the  turning  spring 
Averts  her  blushful  face." 


THE  CLIMATE.  333 

The  close  of  the  winter,  for  one  may  not  term  it  the  spring, 
is  here  decidedly  the  least  agreeable  season  of  the  year. 
Siberian  winds  to-day,  and  Indian  heats  to-morrow,  and 
then  driving  sleet  the  next  day,  and  so  on,  from  heat  to 
cold,  and  cold  to  heat,  until  the  last  finally  prevails,  and 
all  nature  bursts  into  sudden  life,  as  by  the  spell  of  a  ma- 
gician. ,  The  first  flush  of  the  summer  is  truly  delightful ; 
the  instantaneous  spring  of  vegetation,  the  multitude  of 
blossoms,  clothing  orchard  and  forest,  and  the  chirp  and 
song  of  birds,  all  breaking  forth  at  once,  have  an  unspeak- 
ably cheering  effect.  The  birds  here  are  less  numerous 
than  in  our  island,  but  will,  of  course,  multiply  as  cultiva- 
tion encroaches  more  and  more  on  the  forest.  I  do  not 
think  there  is  any  songster  that  may  compare  with  our 
lark,  whose  note  breathes  more  of  the  upper  spheres  than 
any  of  earth's  creatures.  With  this  exception,  the  note 
of  the  American  songsters  may,  I  think,  vie  with  ours. 
The  Virginia  nightingale,  his  feathers  all  crims6n  with  fine 
black  marks  on  his  head,  has  a  singularly  melodious  song  ; 
the  robin  is  more  like  our  thrush,  both  as  to  size  and  note, 
and  even  colour,  except  that  he  has  a  red  breast,  from 
which,  and  perhaps  also  from  his  familiar  habits,  it  is  pro- 
bable that  he  obtained  his  name  ;  the  mocking  bird,  who, 
besides  imitating  all  others,  bad,  good,  and  indifferent,  has 
a  powerful  and  exquisite  note  of  his  own ;  the  blue  bird, 
the  red-headed  woodpecker,  a  small  yellow  bird  resem- 
bling the  canary,  are  the  others  that  occur  to  me  as  the 
most  frequent.  The  humming  bird,  that  fairy  creature, 
half  butterfly,  half  bird,  does  not  make  his  appearance 
until  midsummer. 

The  observations  that  I  can  make  upon  the  climate  ap- 
ply of  course  but  to  a  small  portion  of  this  vast  world, 
which  comprises  all  the  climates  of  the  earth ;  with  the 
exception  perhaps  of  one  —  the  gloomy.  The  Atlantic 
border  of  New-England  is  indeed  liable,  in  the  spring 
months,  to  fogs  blown  from  off  the  Newfoundland  bank ; 


334  OBSERVATIONS  ON 

but  these  temporary  visitors  do  not  despoil  the  atmosphere- 
of  the  general  character  of  brilliancy  which,  summer  and 
winter,  it  may  be  said  more  or  less  to  possess  from  Maine 
to  Missouri.  The  vividness  of  the  light,  which  is  at  first 
painful  to  English,  and  even  European  eyes  of  whatever 
country,  I  could  imagine  had  wrought  an  effect  on  the  na- 
tional physiognomy.  The  Americans  in  general  are  re- 
markable for  even  brows,  much  projected  over  the  eyes, 
which,  small  and  piercing,  usually  glance  from  beneath 
them  with  singular  intelligence  and  quickness  of  observa- 
tion. The  climate  of  this  continent,  except  where  in- 
fluenced by  local  causes,  seems  to  be  peculiarly  healthy, 
and  highly  favourable  to  the  growth  of  the  human  figure  ; 
other  circumstances  doubtless  assist  its  effect ;  a  popula- 
tion free  from  poverty,  and  in  consequence  comparatively 
of  vice,  might  perhaps  attain  to  nature's  full  standard  in 
an  atmosphere  less  pure.  The  diseases  of  the  country 
appear  to  be  few  and  violent ;  fevers,  and  other  inflam- 
matory disorders,  common  during  the  first  autumnal 
months ;  the  temperate  habits  of  the  people,  however,  pre- 
serve  them  in  a  great  measure  from  these  attacks,  or  mo- 
derate their  violence.  I  imagine  there  are  more  instances 
of  extraordinary  longevity  in  these  states,  than  you  could 
find  in  any  part  of  Europe. 

The  Western  States  seem  destined  to  be  the  paradise 
of  America.  The  beauty  of  their  climate  is  probably 
unrivalled,  unless  it  be  by  that  of  some  of  the  elevated 
plains  of  the  southern  continent.  The  influence  of  the 
mild  breezes  from  the  Mexican  gulf,  which  blow  with 
the  steadiness  of  a  trade  wind  up  the  great  valley  of  the 
Mississippi,  is  felt  even  to  the  southern  shore  of  lake  Erie : 
and  affects  the  climate  of  some  of  the  northwestern  coun- 
ties of  New- York.  The  explanation  given  by  Volney 
of  this  phenomenon,  is,  in  the  highest  degree,  ingenious; 
and  more  than  plausible,  as  it  seems  to  be  confirmed  by 


THE  CLIMATE.  335 

the  subsequent  observations  of  other  philosophers,  and  to 
be  borne  out  by  every  fact  that  has  been  adduced.* 

Have  I  written  enough  about  wind  and  weather  ?  For- 
give me  for  handling  so  dull  a  subject,  and  this  too  so  su- 
perficially- The  American  climate  has  so  many  pecu- 
liarities, that  to  trace  them  to  their  causes,  would  afford  a 
curious  and  interesting  subject ;  for  this,  however,  I  am 
totally  inadequate. 

I  send  you  a  very  careless  reply  to  your  last  letter.  A 
few  week's  patience,  my  dear  friend,  and  I  will  answer 
your  questions,  to  the  best  of  my  power  at  least,  in  per- 
son. Receive  it  as  no  small  proof  of  anxious  affection, 
that  we  lay  aside  all  thoughts  of  crossing  the  Alleghanies ; 
and  that,  closing,  for  the  present,  our  American  travels 
with  a  visit  to  Washington,  we  shall  embark  in  May  for 
England.  Does  this  look  like  return  ;  and  do  you  now 
believe,  that  we  shall  keep  good  faith  with  you  ?  Fare- 
well. 

*  The  facts  adduced  by  Volney,  tend  to  demonstrate  "  that  the  southwest 
wind  of  the  United  States  is  nothing  but  the  trade  wind  of  the  tropics  turned 
out.  of  its  direction  and  modified,  and  that  consequently  the  air  of  the  west- 
ern country  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  gulf  of  Mexico,  and  previously  of  the 
West  Indies,  conveyed  to  Kentucky.  From  this  datum,  flows  a  simple  and 
natural  solution  of  the  problem,  which  at  first  must  have  appeared  perplex- 
ing, why  the  temperature  of  the  western  country  is  hotter  by  three  degrees 
ot  latitude  than  that  of  the  Atlantic  coast,  though  only  separated  from  it  by 
the  Alleghany  mountains." — Volney's  View  of  the  Climate,  and  Soil  of  the 
United  Stales  of  America.  If  the  southwest  wind  tempers,  in  the  western 
country,  the  cold  of  the  winter,  it  also  tempers  the  heat  of  the  summer. 
This  does  not  seem  to  be  clearly  admitted  by  Volney ;  but  I  have  never  ques- 
tioned any  individual,  familiar  with  the  western  territory,  who  did  not  con- 
cur in  the  statement. 


LETTER  XXVI. 


PHILADELPHIA  MARKET. DEPORTMENT  OF  THE  CITIZENS. 

MODE    OF    GUIDING    AND  BREAKING  HORSES. HINTS 

TO     AN    EMIGRANT.  CONSEQUENCES    OF    BRINGING    FO- 
REIGN SERVANTS  TO  AMERICA.  GERMAN    REDEMPTION- 

ERS.  MANNER    IN    WHICH    THE    IMPORTATION    OF^  THE 

PEASANTS  OF  THE  EUROPEAN  CONTINENT  IS  CONDUCTED. 

REPLY    TO    THE    QUARTERLY  REVIEW.  DESCENT    OK 

THE    DELAWARE.  LETTER    OF  COUNT    SURVILL1ER  (jO- 

SEPH  BUONAPAJRTE.)  RENCONTRE  WITH   ENGLISH  TRA- 
VELLERS. 


Philadelphia,  April,  1820. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

THUS  far  on  our  way  to  Washington,  having  just  left 
the  Trenton  steamboat  for  one  bound  to  Baltimore,  and 
now  lying  at  the  wharf  at  the  foot  of  Market-street,  sur- 
rounded by  sloops  and  boats,  filled  with  shad,  a  fine  fish 
between  our  salmon  and  mackerel,  just  come  into  season, 
and  which  are  now  selling  for  a  cent  a  piece. 

How  strangely  quiet  is  this  Quaker  city !  I  am  writing 
in  this  cabin  scarce  disturbed  by  a  sound,  except  the  tread 
of  two  men  on  the  deck  ;  and  yet  the  great  market  of  the 
city,  and  the  largest,  perhaps,  of  any  city  in  the  states,  is 
now  holding  not  two  hundred  yards  distant  from  this  spot. 
We  took  a  turn  through  it  just  now,  and  surely  never  was 
a  crowd  so  orderly  and  quiet !  I  know  not  if  the  fishwomen 
be  all  Quakers,  but  they  certainly  are  few  of  them  Billings- 


PHILADELPHIA  MARKET.  337 

gates.  And  here  I  will  observe  what  has  struck  me,  not  in 
Philadelphia  only,  over  which  the  peaceable  spirit  of  Penn 
may  be  supposed  to  hover,  but  in  all  the  towns  and  cities 
of  these  republics  that  I  have  chanced  to  visit,  —  the  or- 
derly behaviour  of  the  citizens.  You  not  only  see  no 
riots  in  the  streets,  but  no  brawls  ;  —  none  of  that  wran- 
gling, epforced  by  oath  and  fist,  which  some  might  hold 
as  proofs  of  brutish  ignorance,  though  a  Windham  might 
see  in  them  the  tongue  and  soul  of  valour.  The  absence 
of  noise  does  not  argue  the  absence  of  activity,  any  more 
than  the  absence  of  inhumanity  argues  that  of  courage. 
If  any  man  doubt  either  position,  let  him  visit  these  re- 
publics, and  consider  the  character  and  habits  of  this  peo- 
ple, together  with  their  short,  but  interesting  history. 

I  observed  in  the  carts  and  wagons  standing  in  and 
around  the  market-place,  the  same  well-fed,  well-rubbed, 
healthy  looking  horses,  that  have  so  often  attracted  my 
attention  throughout  this  country.  Truly,  I  do  not  re- 
member to  have  seen  a  starved  horse  since  I  landed.  The 
animals  seem  to  share  the  influence  of  wholesome  laws 
with  their  masters  ;  their  influence  reaching  them  through 
that  which  they  exert  more  immediately  upon  the  charac- 
ter, as  well  as  the  circumstances,  of  the  proud  lords  of  the 
creation.  I  say  character  as  well  as  circumstances ;  for 
though,  when  a  man  feeds  his  horse  well,  it  may  only 
argue,  that  he  has  wherewithal  to  procure  provender  5 
when  he  uses  him  gently,  and  guides  him  with  the  voice 
instead  of  the  whip,  it  shows  that  he  has  good  sense  or  hu- 
manity ;  good  sense,  if  he  consider  his  own  ease,  and  hu- 
manity, if  he  consider  that  of  the  animal.  It  is  a  pretty 
thing  to  see  a  horse  broke  in  this  country  ;  it  is  done  en- 
tirely by  gentleness.  A  skilful  rider,  after  ir»uch  previous 
coaxing  and  leading,  mounts  the  wild  creature  without 
whip  or  spur,  and  soothes  him  with  the  hand  and  the 
voice,  or  allows  him  to  spend  himself  in  the  race,  and 
brings  him  at  last  to  obey  the  check  of  the  rejn,  or  the, 

45 


338  HINTS  TO  AN   EMIGRANT. 

note  of  the  voice,  with  the  readiness  of  the  steed  of  a  Be- 
douin. The  lesson,  thus  learned,  is  never  forgotten ;  a 
word  or  a  whistle  sets  the  horse  to  his  full  speed,  whether 
in  the  carriage,  the  dearborn,  or  the  stage.  In  travelling, 
I  remember  but  once  to  have  seen  a  driver  who  ever  did 
more  than  crack  his  whip  in  the  air.  This  exception  too 
was  a  European. 

If  *  *  *  *  's  friends  do  finally  determine  upon  passing 
to  this  country,  let  them  by  all  means  be  advised  against 
bringing  servants  with  them.  Foreign  servants  are  here, 
without  doubt,  the  worst ;  they  neither  understand  the 
work  which  the  climate  renders  necessary,  nor  are  willing 
to  do  the  work  which  they  did  elsewhere.  A  few  weeks 
—  nay,  not  unfrequently,  a  few  days,  and  they  either  be- 
come a  useless  charge  to  their  employers,  or,  by  making 
inordinate  demands,  and  assuming  airs  of  ridiculous  im- 
portance, force  their  employers  to  dismiss  them.  You 
will  easily  conceive,  how  an  uneducated  mind  is  likely  to 
misconstrue  the  nature  of  that  equality  which  a  democra- 
cy imparts  to  all  men.  Those  bred  up  under  it,  can  per- 
ceive and  acknowledge  the  distinctions  which  education 
and  condition  place  between  the  gentleman  and  the  la- 
bourer ;  but  those  just  released  from  the  aristocracies  of 
Europe,  finding  themselves  in  a  country  where  all  men 
are  placed,  by  the  laws,  on  an  exact  level,  conceive,  natu- 
rally enough,  that  they  are  transformed  from  the  servants 
of  their  employer  into  his  companions ;  and  at  one  and  the 
same  moment  lay  aside  obsequiousness,  and  array  them- 
selves in  insolence.  I  am  not,  however,  prepared  to  say, 
that  the  complaints  which  I  have  heard  from  my  country- 
men and  countrywomen  have  been  altogether  just.  It  is 
probable,  that  in  these  household-quarrels,  there  are  often 
faults  on  both  sides ;  the  master  and  mistress  preserving  a 
tone  which  might  be  tolerated  in  Europe,  but  which  their 
squires  and  handmaidens  have  here  learned  to  resent; 
and  the  servants,  on  the  other  hand,  being  too  prone  to 


DOMESTIC  SERVANTS.  339 

exaggerate  the  offence  offered,  or  too  eager  to  seize  the 
opportunity  of  paying  off  old  scores,  by  returning  imperti-* 
nence  in  kind.  If*  *  *  *'s  friends  are  quite  sure  of  the 
dispositions  of  their  domestics,  and  quite  sure  of  their  own, 
they  may,  perhaps,  bring  over  their  houshold  with  them 
without  much  hazard.  I  believe  the  plan  seldom  an- 
swers ;  but  there  are  exceptions  to  all  rules.  One  thing 
they  must  come  prepared  for.  The  day  after  their  arri- 
val, they  will  be  styled  Mr.  and  Mrs.  *  *  *  *.  If  they 
take  no  notice  of  this,  things  may  go  on  smoothly,  but  if 
they  ask  why  the  epithets  master  and  mistress  are  dropped, 
ten  to  one  but  they  will  receive  for  answer,  that  there  are 
no  masters  and  no  servants  it]  America ;  that  this  is  a  free 
country ;  that  all  men  are  equal,  &,c.  &c. ;  the  whole 
concluding  with  a  toss  of  the  head,  and  a  sudden  whisk 
out  of  the  room.  I  have  witnessed  several  amusing  scenes 
of  this  description  ;  and  some  of  my  American  friends 
have  witnessed  many  more. 

The  *****  's  are  perhaps  curious  to  know  what 
servants  they  will  find  here.  In  the  first  place,  they  will 
find  in  the  Atlantic  cities,  where  servants  must  generally 
be  sought,  many  Irish,  and  some  British.  These  are,  for 
the  most  part,  stragglers  from  the  crowd  of  emigrants 
poured  into  the  St.  Lawrence ;  with  some  exceptions,  the 
former  are  poor,  dirty,  and  ignorant ;  the  latter  discon- 
tented and  insolent ;  these,  however,  after  a  year  or  two, 
will  sometimes  recover  their  good  humour  and  good  man- 
ners, and  become  civil,  though  never  again  servile  do- 
mestics. There  is  something  about  the  Irishman,  that 
every  where  seems  to  attract  sympathy.  Notwithstand- 
ing his  thoughtless  improvidence,  his  simplicity  and  warm- 
heartedness make  him  friends,  even  among  this  indus- 
trious nation.  The  many  distinguished  Irish  characters 
settled  in  these  states,  of  course  interest  themselves  more 
peculiarly  in  the  condition  of  their  poor  countrymen. 
The  Hibernian  societies  of  New- York  and  Philadel- 


310  DOMESTIC    SRM  V  A  NT.-. 

phia  provide  some  with  work,  and  support  others ;  these 
emigrants  some  times  make  tolerable  journeymen  and 
out-door  labourers,  but  usually  very  indifferent  household 
servants. 

On  the  Atlanlic  border,  to  which,  in  the  Northern 
States,  the  black  population  is  chiefly  confined,  negroes 
are  much  employed  in  domestic  service.  Their  faults  are 
indolence,  and  an  occasional  tendency  to  intemperance 
and  petty  dishonesty.  Those  who  employ  negroes  gene- 
rally find  it  better  to  employ  them  exclusively.  The  na- 
tive American,  when  he  can  be  obtained,  makes  a  va- 
luable domestic.  Household  service,  as  I  have  observed 
in  a  former  letter,  is  not  an  employment  that  the  citizens 
are  fond  of;  but  the  very  qualities  which  disincline  them 
from  it,  make  them  the  more  trusty  when  engaged  in  it. 
The  foreigner,  however,  must  be  careful  not  to  rub  their 
pride.  No  American  will  receive  an  insulting  word.  A 
common  mode  of  resenting  an  imperious  order,  is  to  quit 
the  house  without  waiting  or  even  asking  for  a  reckoning. 
The  sensitiveness  of  the  American  pride  is  sometimes  not 
a  little  curious  and  amusing.  Some  months  since,  we 
were  surprised  in  New- York  by  a  visit  from  a  woman 
who  had  been  our  domestic  the  year  before.  We  had 
parted  with  her,  having  no  farther  occasion  for  her  service, 
and  had  seen  her  provided  with  another  place  before  we 
left  the  city.  It  was  not  without  pleasure,  that  I  recog- 
nized our  old  acquaintance,  as  she  entered  neatly  dressed, 
with  a  smiling  countenance,  which  seemed  also  full  of 
meaning.  After  some  prefatory  salutations,  I  began  to 
inquire  into  her  history  since  we  parted.  How  had  she 
liked  her  new  situation  ?  u  They  were  foreigners,  Madam, 
that  I  went  to  after  leaving  you."  "  Well,  Mary."  — 
'•  They  had  some  strange  ways,  Madam."  "  The  short 
is,  Mary,  that  you  did  not  like  them."  u  Why  no,  Ma- 
dam. I  left  them  the  next  morning."  ;i  That  was  some- 
what hasty. — They  must  have  used  you  very  ill."  "  They 


DOMESTIC  SERVANTS.  341 

doubted  my  honesty,"  and  she  drew  her  head  somewhat 
higher  as  she  spoke.  "  Indeed  !"  "  Yes  ;  the  lady  her- 
self locked  away  the  plate,  and  even  the  silver  spoons." 
I  believe  I  smiled  as  I  asked,  "  Was  that  all,  Mary  ?" 
"  All  !"  A  slight  flush  crossed  her  face,  as  she  repeated 
the  word ;  then,  hesitating  a  moment,  she  added  in  a 
quiet  tone,  "  I  am  afraid  you  think  I  behaved  oddly  ;  but 
I  was  not  used  to  the  sort  of  thing.  The  lady  told  me 
it  was  her  practice.  Why  then,  Madam,"  said  I,  "  I  think 
we  are  not  assorted.  I  could  not  stay  in  a  house  where  a 
doubt  seemed  to  be  cast  upon  my  honesty ;  and  so  I  believe 
we  had  better  part  now."  "  And  you  did  part  ?"  "  Yes, 
Madam,  I  went  away  directly."  I  was  glad  to  learn 
that  the  pride  of  the  honest  creature  was  never  likely  to 
be  tried  again.  After  a  few  circumlocutions  and  awk- 
ward looks,  she  told  me  that  she  was  married  to  a  kind 
husband  and  an  industrious  man. 

You  will  perceive,  that  a  character  of  this  description 
requires  some  management.  Indeed  the  same  may  be 
said  of  servants  in  this  country  generally.  A  master  or 
mistress  of  an  imperious  temper  will  be  served  very  ill. 
It  is  a  chance,  indeed,  if  they  will  be  served  at  all,  and 
certainly  by  none  but  the  most  worthless,  either  of  the 
blacks  or  of  the  poorest  foreign  emigrants,  who  may  think 
it  worth  while  to  make  a  compromise  between  their  pride 
and  their  cupidity,  and  who  will  probably  revenge  affronts 
by  picking  their  masters'  pockets.  There  is  one  mistake 
which  foreigners  are  very  apt  to  fall  into  ;  that  the  blacks 
constitute  a  second  etat ;  possessing  fewer  privileges,  and, 
consequently,  less  pride  than  the  white  community  ;  and 
who  may,  therefore,  be  treated  de  haut  en  has  with  impu- 
nity. It  is  not  occasionally  without  feelings  of  high  re- 
sentment, that  Europeans  are  made  sensible  of  their  error : 
and  that  they  find  the  privileges  of  an  American  negro 
often  surpassing  theirs  in  their  own  country,  and  his  pride 
equalling  theirs  in  its  most  towering  mood.  This,  indeed. 


342  GERMAN  REDEMPTIOXERS. 

is  not  a  country  for  the  imperious  or  the  vain ;  the  man 
who  can  respect  the  pride  of  a  fellow  creature,  in  what- 
ever condition  of  life  fortune  may  have  thrown  him,  and 
who  does  not  feel  his  consequence  to  depend  upon  the 
cap-in-hand  service  of  inferiors,  but  rather  finds  his  own 
dignity,  as  one  of  the  human  species,  raised  by  the 
dignity  assumed  by  others ;  such  a  man  may  live  here 
easily  and  comfortably,  well  attended,  well  esteemed,  and 
civilly  treated. 

There  is  another  race  of  servants  who  are  highly  useful 
to  the  farmer  and  country  gentleman  ;  these  are  the  pool- 
German  and  Swiss  peasants,  thrown  into  this  country 
from  Holland,  chiefly  by  the  port  of  Philadelphia.  Penn- 
sylvania has  been  in  great  part  peopled  from  Germany ; 
perhaps  one  third  of  the  population  are  of  German  de- 
scent ;  it  is  natural,  therefore,  that  the  stream  of  emigration 
from  the  banks  of  the  Rhine  should  continue  to  pour  into 
the  same  quarter.  The  regulations  under  which  mer- 
chant vessels  are  placed  in  New- York,  seem,  indeed,  to 
shut  that  port  against  it.  Every  captain  who  there  lands 
a  foreigner,  is  held  responsible  that  he  or  she  shall  not  be 
thrown  as  a  charge  upon  the  commonwealth.  Should  he 
be  found  in  the  character  of  a  vagrant  within  the  date  of 
three  years  after  his  arrival,  the  captain  who  has  landed 
him,  becomes  chargeable  with  his  sustenance,  and  must 
pay  a  high  fine  to  the  state,  to  be  appropriated  to  that 
purpose. 

The  more  wealthy  Germans,  and  other  philanthropic 
citizens  of  this  state  (Pennsylvania,)  in  keeping  the  port 
of  Philadelphia  open  to  the  suffering  poor  of  the  European 
continent,  have  exerted  themselves  to  place  the  trade  (for 
their  exportation  is  absolutely  made  a  subject  of  trade  in 
Holland)  under  such  regulations  as  shall  save  this  com- 
munity from  an  inundation  of  paupers,  and  the  poor  emi- 
grants themselves  from  breach  of  faith  in  the  traders  to 
whom  they  entrust  their  lives  and  liberties.  The  ships 


GERMAN  REDEMPTIONERS.  343 

chiefly  employed  in  this  trade  are  Dutch,  but  the  depress- 
ed state  of  commerce  has  thrown  into  it  vessels  of  other 
nations,  British,  American,  and  others,  from  the  ports  of 
the  Baltic.  It  was,  of  course,  found  somewhat  difficult 
to  bring  foreign  ships  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  state 
laws.  The  first  regulations  were,  in  some  cases,  so 
shamefully  evaded,  that  the  national  government  took  the 
subject  under  consideration,  and  passed  a  law  which  ex- 
tended to  every  port  in  the  Union,  and  has  been  found 
thoroughly  effective;  at  present,  therefore,  the  trade  is 
placed  under  the  jurisdiction  of  the  American  congress, 
while  the  Pennsylvania  legislature  appoint  officers  to  see 
that  the  contracts  between  the  emigrants  and  the  ship 
captains  are  faithfully  fulfilled.  A  ship,  of  whatever  na- 
tion, arriving  in  port  peopled  beyond  a  rate  prescribed  by 
law,  is  forfeited  to  the  national  government.  The  captain 
of  every  ship  is  bound  to  support  his  emigrants,  or  redemp- 
tioners,  as  they  are  styled,  for  one  month  after  the  date  of 
their  arrival  in  port ;  after  which  he  may  add  the  charge 
of  their  support,  as  determined  by  law,  to  the  debt  of  their 
passage.  This  debt,  which  is  contracted  in  Holland,  is 
paid  according  to  the  means  of  the  emigrant.  If  he  has 
money  to  defray  his  passage,  and  that  of  his  family,  he 
devotes  it  to  this  purpose ;  but  this  is  rarely  the  case ; 
sometimes  he  pays  half  or  a  third  of  the  debt,  and  becomes 
bound  to  the  captain  for  a  term  of  service  equivalent  to 
the  remainder,  who  is  empowered  to  sell  this  indenture- 
ship  to  a  resident  citizen  in  Pennsylvania ;  more  frequent- 
ly he  discharges  the  whole  of  the  debt  by  the  surrender  of 
his  liberty.  Upon  his  arrival  here,  however,  the  laws 
effectually  screen  him  from  the  results  which  might  ac- 
crue from  his  own  ignorance  or  rashness  ;  he,  or  rather 
the  captain  for  him,  cannot,  under  any  circumstances,  in- 
dent his  person  for  a  term  longer  than  four  years,  nor  can 
he  be  taken  without  his  consent  beyond  the  limits  of 
the  state  of  Pennsylvania.  An  officer  is  appointed  and 


344  GERMAN   REDEMl'TlG.'vEKfe,. 

salaried  by  the  Pennsylvania  government,  who  inspects 
the  rederaptioners  on  their  arrival,  and  witnesses  and  re- 
ports the  agreement  made  between  the  captain  and  those 
who  purchase  their  service.  The  purchasers  must  take 
the  whole  family,  man,  wife,  and  children,  unless  the  re- 
demptioners  themselves  shall  agree  to  the  contrary  ;  the 
masters  being  also  bound  by  the  law  to  provide  the  chil- 
dren with  schooling  and  clothing.  There  are  some  mi- 
nor regulations  with  which  I  am  not  accurately  acquaint- 
ed. This  service,  you  will  perceive,  is  liable  to  be  not  a 
little  expensive  to  the  employers.  It  is  attended,  how- 
ever, with  fewer  risks  than  might  be  expected ;  the 
Swiss  and  German  peasants  being,  for  the  most  part,  sim- 
ple, honest,  and  industrious,  and  excellent  servants  in  the 
farm  and  the  dairy.  This  mode  of  indenture  is  so  ser- 
viceable to  these  emigrants,  that  those  who  may  have  been 
able  to  defray  their  passage  in  money,  usually  bind  them- 
selves to  some  American  family  for  a  couple  of  years, 
where  they  may  be  initiated  in  the  language  and  habits 
of  their  new  country.  I  have  met  with  instances  of  this 
kind  in  Pennsylvania,  and  even  in  New- York  and  Jersey, 
into  which  states  the  emigrants  had  consented  to  pass. 
After  the  expiration  of  the  term,  the  redemptioners  are 
often  retained  by  their  masters  upon  wages;  when,  if 
they  are  frugal  and  ambitious,  they  may,  in  the  course  of 
time,  lay  up  sufficient  to  purchase  a  few  acres,  and  enter 
on  their  own  farm. 

It  certainly  cannot  be  expected  that  the  American  na- 
tion will  submit  to  have  their  country  turned  into  a  lazar- 
house  for  the  suffering  poor  of  Europe,  who,  with  poverty, 
but  too  often  bring  its  accompaniments,  indolence  and 
vice.  Those  states,  probably,  act  wisely  who,  by  such 
regulations  as  I  have  mentioned  as  adopted  by  New- York, 
shut  the  door  against  them.  That  state,  by-the-bye,  re- 
ceives, as  it  is,  more  than  she  finds  agreeable,  by  the  way 
of  Canada  ;  and  her  community  are  put  to  no  small  in- 


GERMAN  REDEMPTIONERS.  345 

convenience  and  expense  for  their  provision.  It  is  a  com- 
mon belief  in  Europe,  that  her  surplus  population  will  be 
as  great  an  advantage  for  America  to  gain  as  for  her  to 
lose.  The  argument  would  have  some  plausibility  were 
not  the  surplus  population  of  all  countries  generally  the 
vicious  population.  There  is  not,  however,  the  same  ob- 
jections to  that  of  the  middle  parts  of  the  old  continent,  as 
to  that  which  has  sometimes  flowed  from  France  and  the 
British  islands.  The  starving  emigrants  of  Switzerland 
and  Germany  are  simple  agriculturists  and  ignorant  pea- 
sants, who  here  quietly  devote  themselves  to  the  pursuits 
from  which  they  have  been  driven  in  Europe,  and  instant- 
ly become  harmless  and  industrious  citizens.  Their  pre- 
judices, whatever  they  may  be,  are  perfectly  innocent, 
and  of  absolute  vices  they  usually  have  none.  The  poor 
British  but  too  often  bring  with  them  all  the  assumption 
and  all  the  corruption  of  manufacturing  towns  and  crowd- 
ed seaports  ;  too  ignorant  to  be  able  to  appreciate  justly 
the  advantages  which  this  country  affords,  and  too  know- 
ing to  be  willing  to  learn.*  Nor  even  supposing  them  to 
have  good  habits,  which  is  seldom  the  case,  are  they  fitted 
for  the  work  they  can  obtain  here.  An  Englishman,  in 
general,  can  do  but  one  thing,  and  an  Irishman,  but  too 
frequently,  can  do  nothing.  I  know  many  instances  of 
their  being  employed  from  pure  charity  ;  their  wives  and 
children  supported  in  out-houses  for  weeks  and  even 
months  together,  a  charge  upon  the  benevolence  of  an 
American  farmer  or  gentleman.  But  benevolence  must 
have  bounds,  and  the  rulers  of  Europe  can  with  little  rea- 
son complain,  if  the  republic  lays  an  embargo  upon  the 
importation  of  their  obstreperous  mob  and  onerous  pau- 
pers. The  fact  is,  that  those  only  are  an  acquisition  to 

*  The  Welsh  form  an  exception  to  this  rule  :  their  habits  are  found  to  bear 
much  resemblance  to  those  of  the  German  peasantry,  and,  consequently, 
their  service  is  equally  valued  in  Pennsylvania.  Cargoes  of  Welsh  redemp- 
tioners  frequently  enter  the  Delaware. 

48 


346  REPLY  TO  THE 

this  continent  who  are  a  loss  to  the  other,  and  melan- 
choly is  the  truth,  that  every  ship  which  enters  these 
ports  brings  some  emigrants  of  this  character.  The  heart 
of  the  English  patriot  may  well  sink  within  him,  when  he 
reflects  upon  this.  Where  will  be  the  strength  of  his  na- 
tion when  it  shall  consist  only  of  the  over-rich  and  the 
starving  poor  ?  Pharaoh's  fat  and  lean  kine,  who  ate  up 
each  other,  is  a  true  allegory. 

Before  quitting  the  subject  of  the  German  emigration, 
I  must,  injustice  to  the  benevolent  community  of  Phila- 
delphia, advert  to  a  writer  who  has  been  raised  into  con- 
sideration by  the  importance  of  his  commentators.  It 
was  perhaps  not  possible,  that  the  authors  of  a  much  read 
English  journal  should  be  able  to  detect  the  false  state- 
ments of  the  English  traveller  they  reviewed  ;  but  before 
they  confirmed  them  by  a  farther  assertion  of  their  own, 
it  was  natural  to  suppose,  that  they  had  accurately  inves- 
tigated the  subject  upon  which  they  wrote.  There  is 
something  painful  in  seeing  the  virtues  of  a  community 
perverted  into  a  source  of  reproach  and  calumny.  That 
Philadelphia  who  has  been  amiable  enough  to  keep  her 
ports  open  to  the  starving  sufferers  of  Europe,  when  other 
states  have  closed  theirs,  should  have  been  fixed  upon  as 
an  object  of  peculiar  obloquy,  is,  perhaps,  no  less  singular 
than  revolting.* 

Mr.  Fearon  has  given  an  account  of  a  vessel  in  this 
port,  calculated,  from  the  seeming  minuteness  of  its  de- 
tails, to  gain  implicit  credit.  The  ship  Bubona,  which  he 
says  he  boarded,  and  describes  as  being  overloaded  with 
wretched  Germans,  he  informs  the  English  public,  was  an 
American,  commanded  by  an  American,  and  belonging 
to  Americans.  The  Bubona,  I  regret  to  say,  was  a  Bri- 
tish brig,  from  the  port  of  Sunderland,  navigated  and  com- 

*  The  port  of  Baltimore  is  also  resorted  to  by  redemptioners.  I  believe  the 
regulations  under  which  the  trade  is  there  placed,  differ  in  little  from  those  ol 
Philadelphia. 


QUARTERLY  REVIEW.  347 

manded  by  our  countrymen,  and  having  British  owners  : 
she  was,  moreover,  one  of  the  foreign  vessels  which  the 
state  laws  of  Pennsylvania  being  incompetent  to  control, 
occasioned  the  subject  to  be  brought  before  the  national 
congress,  and  procured  the  passing  of  those  effective  laws 
to  which  I  have  before  alluded.   I  request  you  to  commu- 
nicate these  particulars  to  your  friend  *  *  *  *  *,  who 
will  judge  from  this  specimen  how  far  the  "  Sketches"  of 
Mr.  Fearon  have  been  drawn    by  an  accurate  pencil. 
The  ships   employed  in  this  trade  (which,  so  far  from 
meriting  the  term  infamous,  bestowed  upon  it  by  the  re- 
viewer, is  in  its  principle  and  its  results  essentially  hu- 
mane) are,  as  I  have  before  remarked,  principally  Dutch ; 
not  English,  as  the  instance  of  the  Bubona,  if  it  had  been 
fairly  stated  by  Mr.  Fearon,  might  have  led  the  British 
reader  to  suppose,  nor  American,  as  stated  by  the  re- 
viewer.    The  slighest  acquaintance  with  the  strict  regu- 
lations laid  upon  American  vessels  and  their  captains, 
would  have  prevented  many  of  the  misstatements  which 
have  appeared  in  English  journals  and  travels.     These 
regulations,  carefully  enforced,  have  raised  the  character 
of  the  American  traders  throughout  Europe,  and  rendered 
the  law,  passed  by  the  national  congress,  less  necessary 
on  account  of  their  own  vessels,  than  those  of  other  na- 
tions.f  ******* 

*  ******** 


t  The  particulars  given  in  the  text  were  first  received  by  the  author  from 
an  English  gentleman,  long  resident  in  Philadelphia,  and  were  afterwards 
confirmed  to  her  from  many  other  sources  equally  authentic.  The  reader 
will  find  the  same  detailed  more  minutely  in  the  eighteenth  article  of  the 
twenty-seventh  number,  and  the  first  article  of  the  twenty-eighth  number  of 
the  North  American  Review.  That  the  English  reviewer,  to  whom  the  author 
has  adverted  in  the  text,  may  be  fully  satisfied  of  the  accuracy  of  her  state- 
ment, she  extracts  from  the  Boston  journal  the  attestation  of  a  German  no- 
bleman, despatched  by  the  minister  plenipotentiary  of  the  King  of  the  Nether- 
lands, in  the  German  diet,  to  America,  for  the  purpose  of  procuring  farther 

kS 


.'J18  COUiNT  DE  9URVILLIEKS. 

Inquiring  concerning  Joseph  Buonaparte  in  our  way 
here,  I  learn  that  he  is  about  to  purchase  or  lease  a  house 
upon  the  Delaware,  about  ten  miles  below  the  ruins  of 
his  former  residence.  This  neighbourhood  has  been  en- 
deared to  him  by  the  friendly  behaviour  of  the  people  upon 
the  occasion  of  his  late  misfortune.  You  will  probably 
have  seen  in  the  papers,  though  I  should  not  have  written  it 
to  you,  that  the  mansion  in  which  we  saw  him  last  sum- 
mer, was  some  months  since  burned  to  the  ground.  His 
Canovas  were  mostly  saved,  all  indeed  except  three, 
but  they  were  among  the  most  valued ;  his  pictures  also 
and  many  of  his  books ;  still,  however,  the  loss  was  con- 
siderable ;  and  if  it  be  true,  that  this  included  some  family 
papers  of  importance,  perhaps  irreparable.  He  entered 
his  gates,  returning  from  Philadelphia,  just  as  the  roof  fell 
in :  all  the  neighbourhood  was  collected,  and  men  and 
women  striving,  at  the  hazard  of  their  lives,  to  save  his 
property  from  the  flames ;  he  had  himself  to  call  them, 
and  even  to  force  them  from  the  walls.  The  Count  seems 
to  have  been  somewhat  amazed  by  the  honesty  of  his  re- 
publican neighbours ;  and  they,  I  am  told,  were  no  less 
amazed  at  his  amazement.  Possibly  his  letter  of  thanks 
appeared  in  your  papers ;  if  not,  I  throw  it  into  this 
packet. 

encouragement  for  UM-  reception  of  the  poor  Germans  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
of  examining  into  their  condition  in  that  country.  In  the  very  year  and  month 
that  Mr.  Fearon  wrote  his  account  of  the  ships  engaged  in  this  trade,  this 
German  ambassador  wrote  the  following. 

"It  is  usually  Dutch,  but  occasionally  also  American,  Swedish,  Russian, 
and  English  vessels  which  transport  the  emigrants  to  America.  The  ships 
made  use  of  in  this  service  are  commonly  of  the  worst  quality,  old  and  unsea- 
worthy,  and  the  commanders  sent  in  them  ignorant,  inexperienced,  and  bru- 
tal characters.  The  American  ships  are  the  best,  and  deserve  the  preference 
before  the  others  :  they  sail  quicker,  the  treatment  is  better,  and  the  responri- 
bility  of  the  captains  is  greater."  This  will  explain  how  the  law,  passed  by  the 
congress,  was  directed  more  against  foreign  than  American  vessels. 


HIS  LETTER  TO  MR.  SNOWDEN.  349 

Translation  of  a  letter  of  the  Count  de  Suniilliers  (Joseph 
Buonaparte)  on  the  subject  of  the  loss  of  his  house  by 
Jire,  to  William  Snowden,  Esq.,  Judge  and  Justice  of 
the  Peace,  Bordentown. 

Point  Breeze,  Jan.  8th,  1820. 
"  SlR, 

"  You  have  shown  so  much  interest  for  me  since  I  have 
been  in  this  country,  and  especially  since  the  event  of  the 
4th  instant,  that  I  cannot  doubt  it  will  afford  you  plea- 
sure to  make  known  to  your  fellow  citizens,  how  much  I 
feel  all  that  they  have  done  for  me  on  that  occasion.  Ab- 
sent myself  from  my  house,  they  collected  by  a  sponta- 
neous impulse  on  the  first  appearance  of  the  fire,  which 
they  combated  with  united  courage  and  perseverance, 
and,  when  they  found  it  was  impossible  to  extinguish  it, 
exerted  themselves  to  save  all  that  the  flames  had  not  de- 
stroyed before  their  arrival  and  mine. 

"  All  the  furniture,  statues,  pictures,  money,  plate,  gold, 
jewels,  linen,  books,  and  in  short  every  thing  that  was  not 
consumed,  has  been  most  scrupulously  delivered  into  the 
hands  of  the  people  of  my  house.  In  the  night  of  the  fire, 
and  during  the  next  day,  there  were  brought  to  me,  by 
labouring  men,  drawers  in  which  I  have  found  the  pro- 
per quantity  of  pieces  of  money,  and  medals  of  gold,  and 
valuable  jewels,  which  might  have  been  taken  with  im- 
punity. This  event  has  proved  to  me  how  much  the  in- 
habitants of  Bordentown  appreciate  the  interest  I  have 
always  felt  for  them ;  and  shows  that  men  in  general  are 
good  when  they  are  not  perverted  in  their  youth  by  a  bad 
education ;  when  they  maintain  their  dignity  as  men,  and 
feel  that  true  greatness  is  in  the  soul,  and  depends  upon 
ourselves. 

"  I  cannot  omit  on  this  occasion  to  repeat  what  I  have 
said  so  often,  that  the  Americans  are  the  most  happy  peo- 


350  DESCENT  OF  THE  DELAWARE. 

pie  I  have  known ;  still  more  happy,  if  they  understand 
well  their  happiness. 
"  I  pray  you  not  to  doubt  of  my  sincere  regard. 

"  Yours,  &c. 
"JOSEPH  COMPTE  DE  SURVILLIERS." 

While  I  have  been  writing,  our  vessel  has  made  its 
way  many  miles  down  the  Delaware ;   pitch  and  toss, 
pitch  and  toss !    The  wind  has  risen  very  suddenly,  and 
now  blows   a   hurricane.      We  are  likely  to  have  a 
rough  passage.     I  must  seek  the  deck  and  see  who  and 
what  are  our  fellow  passengers.     A  face  peeped  into 
the  cabin  just  now  that  looked  very  English,  and    a 
sentence  with  the  Lancashire  accent,  now  sounding  on 
the  stairs,  seems  to  sanction  my  reading  of  the  physiog- 
nomy.    There  is  a  grey  duffle  cloak,  too,  that  seems  not 
in  the  fashion  of  this  country.     A  propos  to  this  cloak ;  I 
must  express  my  concern  for  the  too  frequent  deficit  of 
such  an  article  in  the  wardrobe  of  an  American  lady : 
truly  my  teeth  have  chattered  when  I  have  seen  in  the 
streets  of  New- York  in  the  month  of  January,  when  the 
mercury  stood  but  few  degrees  above  zero,  troops  of  young 
women  in  such  attire  as  might  have  suited  Euphrosynes 
in  the  sweet  days  of  May  :  no  furs,  no  boots,  no  woollen 
hose,  no,  nor  even  woollen  garb  wore  the  delicate  crea- 
tures ;  but  silks,  and  feathers,  and  slippers,  as  gay  as  the 
sparkling  skies  that  shone  above  them,  or  the  glistering 
snows  they  trod  upon.     But  here  is  too  serious  trifling 
with  youth  and  health  ;  and  the  prevalence  of  consump- 
tion proves  the  danger  and  the  folly  of  this  sacrifice  of 
comfort  to  appearance.     It  is,  doubtless,  a  cruel  thing  to 
bury  a  pretty  ankle  in  a  fur-lined  boot  or  a  stocking  of 
worsted,  and  a  well-turned  throat  and  delicate  waist  in  a 
coat  with  triple  capes  ;  but  I  would  fain  put  it  to  the  good 
sense  of  my  fair  friends  in  this  country,  if  it  is  not  more 
cruel  to  be  cramped  with  rheumatism,  or  tortured  with 


DRESS  OF  THE  LADIES.  351 

tooth-ache,  or  sent  out  of  the  world  in  the  very  spring- 
time of  youth  by  a  painful  and  lingering  disease.  I  would 
that  Franklin  were  alive  to  read  them  a  lesson  upon  the 
folly  of  sacrificing  health  and  life  upon  the  altar  of  fa- 
shion :  he  would  say  more  to  them  in  a  pleasant  fable  of 
ten  lines,  than  a  wordy  moralist  or  learned  physician  in  a 
lecture  of  a  thousand  pages.  But  would  they  listen  to 
an  old  sage  any  more  than  they  would  to  me  ?  Youth 
must  buy  its  own  experience ;  and  the  wisdom  of  our  fa- 
thers usually  lies  on  the  shelf  till  we  have  split  on  all  the 
rocks  from  which  it  would  have  warned  us. 


LETTER  XXV11, 


HALTIMORE. YELLOW  FEVEH  AT  FELLS  POINT.  APPEAR- 
ANCE  Or  THE  CITY. MISCELLANEOUS. 

Baltimore,  April,  1820. 
MT  DEAR  FRIEND, 

WE  pushed  along-side  of  the  wharf  between  two  and 
ihree  in  the  morning,  and  so  gently,  that,  but  for  the  sud- 
den pause  of  the  machinery,  we  slumbering  passengers 
should  have  received  no  intimation  of  the  circumstance. 
Ascending  to  the  deck  before,  sunrise,  we  encountered 
the  last  drops  of  a  spring  shower,  the  loud  pattering  of 
which  we  had  heard  for  some  time  over  our  heads,  and 
had  apprehended  in  consequence  a  comfortless  termina- 
tion to  our  journey  ;  bui  fiercer  war,  sooner  peace,  says  a 
vulgar  proverb,  which,  perhaps,  you  will  call  me  vulgar 
for  quoting ;  and  a  cloud  which  in  our  misty  island  takes 
a  week  or  a  month  to  dissolve  itself,  will  perform  the  ope- 
ration here  in  a  few  minutes.  I  have  seen  rain  in  this 
country,  and  taken  it  on  my  shoulders,  like  the  breaking 
of  a  water-spout :  great  on  such  occasions  is  the  bustle 
and  hurry  of  the  forlorn  wights  exposed  to  the  elements. 
You  will  hear  a  horseman  whistle  to  his  steed,  who,  on 
his  part,  seems  scarcely  to  wait  the  hint  of  his  master, 
and  see  a  saunterer  collect  his  limbs,  and  set  them  to  their 
full  speed  as  though  Death  were  behind  him.  I  have  of- 
ten in  fancy  contrasted  such  a  scene  with  that  which  a 


BALTIMORE.  353 

street  or  highway  presents  in  England  when  the  heavens 
are  weeping  from  sunrise  to  sunset.  The  quiescent  tra- 
veller, with  slouched  hat,  close-buttoned  coat,  and  drip- 
ping umbrella,  holding  on  his  way  with  measured  steps, 
and  a  face  composed  to  patient  endurance,  neither  ex- 
pecting compassion  from  the  elements,  nor  seeking  it  from 
his  fellow  creatures. 

This  city  is  singularly  neat  and  pretty ;  I  will  even  say 
beautiful.  It  is  possible,  that  in  the  first  gaze  I  threw 
upon  it,  it  owed  something  to  the  hour,  the  season,  and 
the  just  fallen  shower  of  sweet  spring  rain  ;  but  what  is 
there  in  life  that  owes  not  to  time  and  circumstance  the 
essence  of  its  evil  or  its  good  ?  We  looked  forth  from 
our  cabin  in  the  still  grey  dawn,  and  paced  awhile  up  and 
down  the  spacious  deck  of  the  lordly  steamboat,  to  enjoy 
the  scene,  and  the  hour,  to  which  the  scene  owed  much. 
All  yet  was  silent  in  the  city  —  silent  as  the  unpierced 
forests  of  the  west ;  not  a  foot  trod  the  quays,  or  was 
heard  upon  the  pavements  of  the  streets  that  branched 
from  them  ;  not  a  figure  was  seen  on  the  decks,  or  in  the 
shrouds  of  the  vessels  that  lay  around  us ;  the  veiy  air 
was  sleeping,  and  the  shipping  reposed  on  the  waters  of 
the  little  bay  (formed  here  by  an  inlet  of  the  Patapsco,) 
which  lay  motionless  as  the  thin  wreaths  of  vapour  which 
hung  above  them.  There  is  something  strangely  impress- 
ive in  such  a  death  of  sound  and  motion  in  the  very 
heart  and  centre  of  the  haunts  of  men.  A  condensed 
population  of  thousands  thus  hushed  to  repose,  all  their 
hopes,  and  fears,  and  sorrows,  and  ambitions,  steeped  in 
forgetfulness,  unconscious  and  unapprehensive  of  the 
checks  and  the  crosses,  and  the  pains  and  the  weariness 
which  the  big  eventful  day  is  to  bring  forth.  If  there  is 
an  hour  in  the  twenty-four  that  disposes  one  more  than 
another  to  moralize  upon  the  fate  and  condition  of  man, 
it  is  that  which  follows  upon  the  first  peep  of  dawn.  The 
silence  of  the  earth  and  skies  is  yet  more  profound  than 

47 


354  BALTIMORE. 

at  night's  mid-noon,  while  the  mind  more  forcibly  con- 
trasts it  with  the  busy  hum  and  stir  of  life,  that  is  so  in- 
stantly about  to  succeed.  Even  in  the  dead  solitudes  of 
the  American  wilderness,  I  have  felt  the  impressive  still* 
ness  of  this  hour  :  the  black  forests  have  stood  more  still, 
the  vast  waters  have  slept  more  profoundly,  the  mists  lay 
more  dense  and  unbroken,  the  work  of  nature  seemed  in- 
terrupted, her  maternal  eye  closed,  and  her  pulse  stop- 
ped. 

The  projecting  point,  whose  curve  forms  one  side  of  the 
little  harbour  in  which  we  were  moored,  lined  with  wharfs 
and  quays,  was  the  seat  of  the  pestilence  of  which  such 
fearful  and  exaggerated  accounts  were  spread  last  au- 
tumn ;  but  the  evil  here,  if  less  than  report  made  it,  was 
sufficiently  alarming.  The  malignant  nature  of  the  dis- 
ease, the  silent  enlargement  of  the  seat  of  its  contagion, 
tlie  suddenness  of  its  seizure,  the  rapidity  of  its  progress, 
and  the  loathsomeness  of  its  last  stage,  which  renders  the 
wretched  object  sinking  beneath  its  virulence,  a  sight  of 
disgust  even  to  the  eye  of  affection,  and  the  uncertainty 
which  has  hitherto  existed  (excepting  in  the  unwholesome 
districts  of  the  South  Atlantic  States,  where  its  abode  be- 
ing more  or  less  continual,  its  nature  is  better  understood, 
the  imagination  more  familiarized  with  its  terrors,  and  the 
constitution  more  proof  against  its  poison;)  the  uncertain- 
ty which,  excepting  in  these  districts,  has  existed  regard- 
ing the  cause  of  its  appearance,  and  the  manner  in  which 
its  progress  might  be  arrested,  all  this  well  explains  the 
terror  which  its  very  name  excites  in  those  cities,  which 
have  only  been  subjected  to  the  visitation  at  long  inter- 
vals, and  where  tradition  hands  down  the  tate  of  its  for- 
mer ravages,  and  the  horrors  with  which  they  were 
fraught. 

In  this  city,  though  the  seat  of  contagion  was  of  much 
greater  extent  than  in  that  of  New-work,  yet  its  limits 
were  equally  defined.  A  line  might  have  been  drawn 


BALTIMORE.  355 

across  the  streets,  on  the  verge  of  which  you  might  stand 
with  impunity,  and  beyond  which  it  was  death  to  pass. 
Had  this  line  been  drawn,  and  drawn  too  at  the  first  ap- 
pearance of  the  disease,  before  time  had  been  afforded  it 
for  the  enlargement  of  its  precincts,  (for  the  infected  at- 
mosphere slowly  eating  its  way  onwards,  where  it  may  be 
safe  for  you  to  breathe  to-day,  you  may  inhale  poison  to- 
morrow,) and  had  the  inhabitants,  both  the  sick  and  the 
well,  been  removed  from  the  seat  of  contagion,  as  was 
done  in  New- York,  and  as  I  wrote  you  with  perfect  suc- 
cess, the  fever  would  have  died  in  the  birth,  instead  of 
rankling  and  spreading  as  it  did,  until  it  was  killed  by  the 
winter's  frost.  The  mistaken  notion  which  here,  as  in 
Boston,  prevailed,  that  the  poison  had  been  brought  in  a 
vessel  from  the  south,  prevented  this  precaution,  and  pre- 
vented also  any  remedy  being  applied  to  the  real  cause  of 
the  evil.  A  cause  so  apparent,  that  nothing  but  the  ob- 
stinacy incident  to  the  adherence  to  a  favourite  system, 
could  have  blinded  the  people  to  its  existence.*  The  nest 
of  the  fever  here,  as  in  New- York,  lay  in  the  stagnant 
waters  of  the  wharfs  ;  into  which  the  neighbouring  inha- 
bitants are  in  the  habit  of  throwing  vegetables  and  other 
refuse.  The  intense  and  unusually  prolonged  heats  of 
the  summer  could  not  fail  to  render  them  so  many  reser- 
voirs of  putrefaction.  These  wharfs  too,  and  many  of  the 
houses  adjoining,  have  been  raised  upon  forced  ground, 
into  which  the  water  oozing,  prepares  against  the  hot 
months  a  rank  bed,  fatally  propitious  to  the  nurture  of  dis- 
ease, if  not  sufficient  for  its  conception.  It  is  to  be  hoped, 
that  the  possibility  of  inbred  infection  is  now  sufficiently 
established,  to  leave  no  doubt  upon  the  minds  of  the  inha- 
bitants of  the  northern  cities,  of  the  imperative  necessity 
of  rigid  cleanliness,  which  can  alone  prevent  the  appear- 

*  See  No.  27th  of  the  North  American  Review  for  some  curious  particulars 
of  the  malignant  fever  which  appeared  in  Boston,  New-York,  and  Baltimore, 
during  the  autumn  of  the  year  1819. 


336  TRAVELLERS. 

ance  of  yellow  fever,  in  the  event  of  a  season  of  unusual 
and  prolonged  heat.  That  which,  in  a  temperate  cli- 
mate, might  be  accounted  as  finical  nicety,  may  barely 
suffice  to  keep  the  atmosphere  untainted  in  the  low  and 
more  populous  quarters  of  cities  lying  under  a  sun  whose 
fervours  will  often  raise  the  mercury  to  ninety  and  upwards 
for  days  successively.  While  the  infected  air  was  gradu- 
ally spreading  along  Fells  Point,  and  the  low  streets  in 
its  immediate  vicinity,  the  higher  parts  of  the  town  were 
perfectly  healthy  ;  and,  though  the  sick  were  removed  into 
it,  no  infection  was  there  received  ;  nor,  after  the  first  wild 
alarm  had  subsided,  was  it  so  much  as  apprehended. 

We  have  met  the  summer  in  this  city.  In  New-York, 
though  the  grass  had  hastily  spread  its  first  carpet,  we  left 
no  appearance  of  leaves,  except  that,  on  the  earlier  trees, 
the  buds  were  ready  to  burst.  In  Philadelphia  1  remark- 
ed some  green  specks  on  the  branches*;  but  here  it  seem- 
ed like  stepping  into  Fairy  land,  when,  leaving  the  vessel, 
we  turned  into  a  clean  broad  street,  lined  with  balsam 
poplars,  the  fragrance  of  whose  young  leaves,  glistering 
with  rain  drops,  perfumed  the  air.  We  proceeded  with 
our  new  friends  —  but  you  know  not  who  they  are.  I 
will  go  through  the  ceremony  of  introduction.  I  wrote 
in  my  last  letter  of  an  English  face  and  duffle  cloak. 
These  might  not  seem  to  promise  much  ;  and,  as  to  the 
first,  let  alone  the  one  in  question,  and  some  others 
whom  I  shall  name,  and  some  others  of  whom  you 
are  aware,  though  they,  indeed,  have  ta'en  so  long  the 
burning  gaze  of  America1s  sun,  as  to  have  well  nigh  lost 
their  native  character,  —  but  let  alone  these,  and  I  must 
confess,  however  the  confession  might  displease  my  coun- 
trymen, that  an  English  face  has  seldom  been  a  sight  that 
has  caused  me  much  satisfaction  on  this  side  the  At- 
lantic. Voltaire  describes  a  travelling  Milord;  the  pic- 
ture might  suit  here  many  a  travelling  Mr.,  and  some 
lords  too,  for  a  few  noble  faces  have  at  odd  times  been 


TRAVELLERS.  357 

seen  in  this  land  of  plain  citizens ;  and  all  were  not  like 
the  unassuming,  gentlemanly,  enlightened  Selkirk.  Were 
I  disposed  to  play  upon  words,  I  might  say  that  the  Eng- 
lish people  are  as  ill  represented  here  as  they  are  at  home. 
The  ordinary  travellers  who  honour  this  republican  earth 
with  the  touch  of  their  feet,  are  stragglers  from  Canada, 
who,  besides  coming  and  going  from  and  to  Europe  by 
the  way  of  New- York,  as  a  more  convenient  port  than 
Montreal  or  Quebec,  will  sometimes  condescend  so  far  as 
to  yawn  away  a  summer  month  or  two,  in  spying  out  a 
few  corners  of  the  great  nest  of  presumptuous  democrats 
stretching  south  of  them  ;  and  who  running  through  a  few 
of  their  towns  ancTcities,  sometimes  without  looking  to 
the  right  hand  or  the  left,  and  sometimes  entering  the 
open  door,  and  seizing  the  open  hand  of  America's  kind 
citizen,  that  they  may  afterwards  at  their  leisure,  with 
better  opportunity,  jeer  at  the  manners  and  traduce  the 
character  of  the  people  whose  hospitality  they  have  shared. 
How  is  it  that  men  can  breathe  the  winds  that  have  blown 
over  the  land  of  liberty,  whose  sacred  shores  even  are 
within  their  sight,  without  inhaling  something  of  the  spirit 
of  indepencience  ?  And  how  can  they  see  that  land,  and 
contemplate  the  joyful  scene  of  its  prosperity,  —  its  towns 
and  cities  springing  as  it  were,  out  of  the  earth  at  the 
touch  of  a  magician,  —  its  active  and  industrious  popula- 
tion, spreading  over  regions,  boundless  in  extent,  and  in- 
exhaustible in  fertility ;  carrying  into  the  desert,  before 
untrodden,  save  by  the  foot  of  the  savage  or  the  beast  of 
prey,  the  arts  of  peace,  the  lights  of  knowledge,  and 
all  the  wealth  and  blessings  of  civilization  :  —  how  can 
they  contemplate  this,  a  sight  as  novel  as  it  is  beauti- 
ful, without  feeling  their  hearts  expand  with  joyful,  and 
proud,  and  generous  sympathy  ?  And  yet  our  country- 
men will  often  travel  from  the  Dan  to  the  Beersheba 
of  this  republic,  and  contrive  to  shut  their  hearts  from 
every  generous  feeling,  and  their  understandings  from 


358  TRAVELLERS. 

every  conviction ;  finding,  and  so  giving,  nothing  but 
vexation  of  spirit,  and  returning  to  the  land  of  their  fa- 
thers to  traduce,  in  the  name  of  the  United  States  of 
America,  the  name  of  liberty,  and  in  that  of  their  people, 
the  names  of  public  virtue  and  of  private  happiness.  But 
what  a  strange  exordium  this  to  the  English  (ace  and  the 
duffle  cloak  !  I  know  of  nought  that  they  have  in  common 
with  the  travellers  to  whom  I  have  alluded.  Things, 
however,  are  as  often  associated  in  our  heads  by  contrast 
as  by  resemblance,  and  so  in  this  case  has  it  been  -with 
the  English  face  and  cloak,  to  which  you  shall  now  be  in- 
troduced without  farther  digression  or  preamble.  The 
owner  of  the  face  was  —  Who  think  you  ?  A  dozen 
guesses,  and  you  have  him  not.  Remember  you,  now 
some  six-and-twenty  years  ago,  to  have  seen  in  your 
house  at  *  *  *  *  a  young  man  of  the  name  of  Taylor  ? 
I  little  expected  in  the  vigorous  and  fresh  looking  stran- 
ger, who  carried  his  years  so  lightly  that  I  hesitated  to 
write  him  under  the  head  of  fifty,  an  old  acquaintance  of 
my  dearest  friend.  It  was  not  till  after  much  conversa- 
tion with  him  and  his  companions  that  I  made  this  disco- 
very, which  you  may  suppose  did  not  weaRen  the  bond 
that  similarity  of  sentiment  upon  the  subjects  on  which 
we  had  previously  conversed,  had  made  between  us.  It 
will  please  you  to  hear,  that  this  your  old  friend  wears  on 
through  his  manhood,  the  honourable  feelings  of  his  youth  i 
—  no  small,  at  least  no  common  merit  in  old  Europe, 
whose  rulers  so  rarely  fail  to  prove  that  the  patriot  has  his 
price.  His  companions  are  a  lady  and  gentleman  from 
Lincolnshire,  whose  acquatntance  is  a  source  of  so  much 
pleasure  to  us,  as  to  make  us  deeply  regret,  that  fortune 
was  not  kind  enough  to  throw  us  earlier  together.  Dur- 
ing our  descent  of  the  Delaware,  we  were  too  much  tor- 
mented by  the  wind,  which  blew  a  heavy  gale  in  our 
facos,  to  have  any  disposition  for  conversation  ;  but  when, 
towards  sunset,  we  exchanged  water  for  land  carriage, 


BALTIMORE.  359 

and  found  ourselves  shut  into  the  same  vehicle  with  three 
English  travellers,  we  began  to  examine  their  faces,  and, 
liking  their  language,  and  they  perhaps  not  disliking  that 
of  ours,  dialogue  commenced. 

There  are  few  accidents  in  life  more  agreeable  than 
those  which,  in  a  foreign  land,  bring  together  wanderers 
from  the  same  native  soil ;  that  is,  when  they  are  not  of 
the  class  of  Matthew  Bramble,  or  Smelfungus,  or  *  **  *  *? 
&c.  Reaching  the  Elk  river,  the  winds  had  hushed  to 
sleep,  and  the  hour  and  our  long  journey  might  have  seem- 
ed to  warn  us  to  follow  the  example ;  but  once  more  on 
board  of  a  steamboat,  upon  whose  deck  we  could  now 
keep  our  feet  without  holding  a  fight  for  the  privilege  with 
the  enraged  household  of  .flEolus;  we  felt  no  disposition  to 
separate  until  we  had  compared  our  sentiments,  and  ex- 
changed much  of  our  information  regarding  the  country  in 
which  we  all  met  as  wanderers.  In  Baltimore  we  felt 
no  disposition  to  part,  and  they  being  also  bound  to  Wash- 
ington, where  they  had  passed  the  greater  part  of  the  win- 
ter, we  made  our  arrangements  for  the  day  together,  and 
first  (to  go  back  a  few  pages)  we  proceeded  in  company 
to  take  a  hasty  view  of  the  city. 

Baltimore  is  not  the  least  wonderful  evidence  of  the 
amazing  and  almost  inconceivable  growth  of  this  country. 
At  the  time  of  the  revolution,  but  forty-five  years  since, 
this  city,  which  now  contains  a  population  of  sixty-five 
thousand,  and  has  all  the  appearance  of  an  opulent  and 
beautiful  metropolis,  comprised  some  thirty  houses  of 
painted  orunpainted  frame,  with  perhaps  as  many  of  logs 
scattered  in  their  vicinity.  If  this  does  not  confound 
your  understanding,  it  has  well  nigh  confounded  mine. 
Dutchmen,  or  their  descendants,  were  not  the  surveyors 
here  as  in  New- York,  where  it  is  thought  proper,  when  a 
street  is  planned,  to  shave  the  earth  of  every  inequality,  as 
though  it  were  intended  to  preserve  to  the  city  the  ap- 
pearance of  having  been  transported  ready  made  from 


360  BALTIMORE. 

Holland,  in  the  manner  of  the  house  at  Loretto,  from  Je- 
rusalem. Baltimore,  on  the  contrary,  is  spread  over  three 
gentle  hills ;  the  streets^  without  sharing  the  fatiguing  re- 
gularity and  unvarying  similarity  of  those  of  Philadelphia, 
are  equally  clean,  cheerful,  and  pleasingly  ornamented 
with  trees ;  the  poplar,  which  in  the  country  is  offensive, 
not  merely  to  the  eye,  but  to  the  understanding,  being  there 
destitute  alike  of  beauty  and  utility,  has  a  singularly  pleas- 
ing effect  in  a  city  where  its  architectural  form  is  in  unison 
with  the  regularity  and  neatness  which  should  every 
where  prevail.  I  mean  not,  however,  to  prefer  it  to  nobler 
trees,  which,  independent  of  superior  beauty,  have  the 
farther  advantage  of  healthy  longevity,  and  are  not  afflict- 
ed with  the  troublesome  blight  that  frequently  renders  the 
poplar  alive  with  caterpillars,  which  sometimes  despoil 
the  branches  in  midsummer,  and  rain  in  offensive  multi- 
tudes on  the  shoulders  of  passengers.  To  remove  this  in- 
convenience, the  citizens  of  New- York  have  removed 
their  poplars;  but  I  own  that,  notwithstanding  my  objec- 
tion to  the  caterpillars,  I  never  saw  one  of  the  guilty  pop- 
lars fall  without  regret ;  the  more  so,  because  I  saw  no 
preparations  made  for  supplying  the  vacancies  w  ith  forest 
trees.  I  could  wish  that  the  householders  in  American 
towns  would,  on  this  matter,  as  on  all  others,  remember 
the  advice  of  Franklin,  w  hose  wise  mind,  embracing  the 
infinitely  little,  as  well  as  the  infinitely  great,  considered 
no  trifle  below  its  notice  that  was  connected  with  the 
comfort  and  well-being  of  man. 

You  see  here,  as  in  Philadelphia,  the  same  neat  houses 
of  well  made  and  well  painted  brick  ;  the  same  delicately 
white  doors,  with  their  shining  knockers  and  handles,  and 
their  steps  of  clean  white  marble,  and  windows  with  their 
green  Venetian  shutters.  Considerable  attention  and  ex- 
pense have  also  been  bestowed  upon  the  public  edifices, 
which,  however,  are  chiefly  remarkable  for  neatness  and 
convenience,  seldom  making  pretensions  to  architectural 


BALTIMORE,  361 

beauty.     Some  buildings  of  a  different  character  are  now 
erecting,  in  a  style  which  does  honour  to  the  taste  and 
public  spirit  of  the  community;  I  have  heard,  indeed,  the 
citizens  of  Baltimore  charged  in  this  particular  with  undue 
extravagance.     However  this  may  be,  we  felt  ourselves 
much  indebted  to  them,  when,  heated  with  fatigue  and 
want  of  rest,  we  suddenly  came  upon  a  spacious  fountain, 
where  the  clear,  cold  water,  gushing  fresh  from  the  spring, 
ran  gurgling  over  a  channelled  floor  of  marble.     In  a 
neighbouring  square,  a  clustered  column  of  simple  and 
pure  architecture  is  raising  to  the  memory  of  those  who 
fell  in  the  gallant  defence  of  the  city  at  the  close  of  the 
late  war;  on  the  pedestal  of  the  column  is  a  blank  stone, 
on  which  are  simply  engraved  the  names  of  the  dead  who 
are  interred  beneath.     The  thoughtless  military  leader, 
and  the  calculating  politician,  might  smile  at  this  enume- 
ration of  some  hundred  names.     We  cannot  better  con- 
trast the  feelings  of  such  men,  than  with  an  anecdote 
which  recurs  to  me  at  the  moment.     During  the  war, 
when  a  body  of  American  militia  had  repulsed  a  party  of 
invaders,  and  were  pursuing  them  to  their  ships,  the  com- 
manding officer  suddenly  called  them  from  the  pursuit. 
A  citizen,  surprised  and  irritated  at  the  order,  seeing  the 
possibilty  of  cutting  off  the  retreat  of  the  enemy,  reproach- 
fully  observed,  that  ere  they  could  gain  their  boats,  two 
thirds  might  be  dead,  or  prisoners.     "  True,"  calmly  re- 
plied the  other,  having  first  enforced  the  order  for  retreat ; 
"  we  might  possibly,  with  the  loss  of  a  dozen  men,  have  de- 
prived the  enemy  of  some  hundreds,  but  what  would  have 
been  the  dozen  1  —  sons,  husbands,  fathers,  and  useful  citi' 
zcns.     And  what  would  have  been  the  hundreds?  —  men 
fighting  for  hire.     Which  loss  in  the  balance  had  weighed 
the  heavier  ?" 

When  we  read  of  the  fall  of  the  three  hundred  at 
Thermopylae,  we  feel  something  more  than  when  we  read 
of  that  of  the  legions  of  Varus  in  the  wilds  of  Germany ; 

48 


362  BALTIMORE. 

and  1  own  that  I  looked  with  deeper  interest  upon  this 
memorial  to  a  few  private  citizens,  who  fell  in  the  defence 
of  their  domestic  hearths,  and  whose  corpses  were  washed 
by  the  tears  of  bereaved  mothers,  widows,  and  orphans, 
than  I  ever  did  upon  the  proudest  monument  erected  to 
the  thousands  sacrificed  to  kingly  ambition.  And  I  doubt, 
if,  in  this  sentiment,  J  am  peculiar ;  I  doubt,  I  mean,  if 
the  costly  monuments  that  adorn  the  empires  of  Europe, 
are  regarded  with  the  same  deep  and  lasting  interest  by 
their  people,  as  is  this  simple  record  by  the  citizens  of 
America's  republic.  There,  too  often,  the  glory  is  mono- 
polized, and  the  honour  awarded  to  the  individual  whose 
personal  ambition,  or  whose  talent,  submitted  to  the  am- 
bition of  a. master,  leads  unnumbered  and  unknown  thou- 
sands to  the  field  of  slaughter ;  and  there  places  on  his 
single  brow  the  laurels  steeped  in  the  sweat  and  blood  of 
the  unheeded  myriads,  dead  and  dying,  who  surrounded 
him.  And  is  it  to  be.bclieved  that,  when  the  first  mad 
frenzy  of  the  multitude  has  subsided,  they  will  see  in  the 
proud  trophies,  marked  with  the  name  of  a  Napoleon  or 
a  Wellington,  much  to  rouse  their  sympathy  or  even  their 
pride  ?  The  hero  who  lives  in  the  hearts  of  a  people,  is 
not  lie  who  has  achieved  the  most  numerous  and  imposing 
conquests,  who  has  wrought  the  most  daring  exploits,  and 
seen  the  most  costly  memorials  raised  to  his  name  ;  it  is 
he  who  has  struggled  for  the  existence  or  defence  of  his 
country,  whose  patience  and  energy  were  exerted,  not  so 
much  to  destroy  its  foes  as  to  shield  its  sons  ; : —  he  it  is. 
whose  cause  being  that  of  his  nation,  so  also  is  his  dignity 
and  his  fame.  The  chariots  of  the  Caesars  were  followed 
by  acclaiming  multitudes,  and  their  achievements  live  in 
the  annals  of  their  empire,  but  their  names  lived  not  in  the 
hearts  of  the  Romans,  as  did  those  of  the  Camillus  and 
the  Fabius,  whose  sword  and  whose  shield  were  the  sa- 
viours of  the  infant  republic.  We  have  seen  the  eagles 
of  Napoleon  overthrown,  and  have  heard  his  name  die  on 


BALTIMORE.  363 

the  lips  of  his  people  ;  but  the  memorials  of  Washington    j 
are  beyond  the  reach  of  fortune  as  of  time :  seated  in  the  ^ 
hearts  of  America's  citizens,  their  number  increases  with 
every  child  that  is  born  to  the  republic,  and  will  be  lasting 
as  the  nation  whose  independence  he  assisted  to  establish; 
and  thus,  in  like  manner,  is  it  that  this  simple  commemo- 
ration of  a  few  private  individuals  excites  more  interest  in 
the  mind  of  the  spectator  than  the  proudest  trophies  raised 
to  unknown  thousands,  who  fell,  they  knew  not  where- 
fore, in  a  foreign  land. 

It  would  be  difficult  to  imagine  a  more  interesting  scene 
than  was  here  exhibited  during  the  engagement  which 
this  monument  is  raised  to  commemorate.  If  the  burning 
of  Washington  excited  the  whole  continent,  it  more  pe- 
culiarly called  forth  the  spirit,  as  well  as  the  fears  of  Bal- 
timore, from  whose  heights  was  distinctly  descried  the 
glow  diffused  through  the  atmosphere  by  the  flames  of  the 
capitol.  An  instantaneous  attack  was  apprehended  ;  but 
of  the  short  interval  which  unexpectedly  elapsed  before 
the  enemy  ascended  the  Chesapeake,  not  a  moment  was 
lost.  The  whole  population  of  Baltimore  laboured  on  the 
entrenchments,  and  in  throwing  up  fortifications ;  troops 
of  volunteers  poured  in  from  the  neighbouring  states  of 
Pennsylvania  and  Virginia ;  and  the  most  distinguished 
citizens  of  Maryland  were  found  in  the  ranks  of  the  bat- 
talions, collected  round  the  city.  The  city  itself,  on  the 
day  and  night  of  the  engagement,  was  peopled  only  by 
women  and  infants.  Every  man,  from  the  decrepid  ve- 
teran to  the  boy  whose  arm  could  scarcely  steady  the 
musket,  was  without  the  walls,  in  the  character  of  a  sol- 
dier. The  death  of  General  Ross  is  ascribed  to  a  beard- 
less youth,  for  whose  hand  the  rifle  which  he  pointed  with 
unerring  certainty  was  almost  too  heavy.  War  in  this 
country  assumes  a  character  so  different  from  that  which 
it  wears  in  Europe,  that  it  is  impossible  to  regard  it  with 
the  samo  feelings.  Who  can  consider  without  interest  an 


364  BALTIMORE. 

army  of  citizens  just  summoned  from  their  domestic 
hearths  ?  the* fanner,  the  lawyer,  the  merchant,  the  states- 
man, the  private  gentleman,  converted  into  soldiers  at  the 
threshold  of  their  own  habitations  for  the  defence  of  all 
that  is  most  dear  to  men.  Conceive,  too,  the  position  of 
this  deserted  city  ;  the  hearts  which  here  beat  with  agony 
during  the  day  and  night  that  the  cannon  roared  in  the 
very  harbour,  each  thunder  of  which  seemed  to  sound  the 
knell  of  a  father  and  a  husband.  It  was  an  affecting 
scene,  as  described  by  those  who  witnessed  it,  when  the 
enemy  withdrew,  and  the  citizens,  returned  to  their 
anxious  homos,  bearing  with  them  the  silent  few  whose 
hearts  were  now  cold  amid  the  impatience  and  joy  that 
surrounded  them.  The  soldier  falls  unregarded  on  a 
foreign  soil,  his  remains  left,  perhaps,  to  the  bleaching 
elements,  or  thrown  into  a  hasty  grave  by  his  weary  and 
reckless  comrades,  or  it  may  be  by  the  very  strangers 
whose  lands  he  has  invaded,  whose  laws  he  has  trampled 
on,  and  whose  brethren  lie  has  slain.  Not  so  the  citizen 
who  falls  on  his  native  soil,  amid  his  friends  and  relatives, 
by  the  hand  of  the  invader  raised  against  his  country  and 
himself.  Here  borne  on  the  shoulders  of  his  brethren,  the 
father  was  brought  to  the  house  of  his  children,  the  son  to 
that  of  his  parent ;  the  tears  of  agony  bedewed  the  corpse, 
the  hand  of  affection  straitened  the  limbs,  and  performed 
the  last  duties  to  the  dead ;  and  when  at  length  the  sacred 
dust  was  consigned  to  its  element,  the  assembled  citizens 
formed  the  long  line  of  the  funeral  procession,  moving 
tlirough  silent  streets,  where  the  tumult  of  joy  was  hushed 
into  the  deep  solemnity  of  mourning. 

War  is  styled  a  necessary  evil.  Most  truly  it  is  so  in 
countries  burthened  with  standing  armies ;  for  if  not  em- 
ployed in  making  war  upon  each  other  abroad,  some  late 
occurrences  in  England  show  us,  that  they  will  attack 
their  fellow  citizens  at  home  5  but  could  a  miracle  destroy 


MONUMENT  TO  WASHINGTON.  365 

all  the  regular  troops  of  Europe,  where  then  were  "  Othel- 
lo's occupation  ?" 

"  Curse  on  the  crimson'd  plumes,  the  banners  flouting, 

The  stirring  clarion,  the  leader's  shooting, 

The  fair  caparisons,  the  war-horse  champing-,  • 

The  array'd  legions  pressing,  rushing,  tramping-, 

The  blazing  falchions,  crests  that  toss  afar, 

The  bold  emprise,  the  spirit-rousing  jar, 

The  swelling  pagans,  thundering  acclaim 

The  death  of  glory,  and  the  living  fame, 

The  sculptor's  monument,  the  people's  bays, 

The  historian's  narrative,  the  poet's  lays  ; 

Oh  !  curse  on  all  the  splendour  and  the  show, 

Which  veileth  o'er  the  fiendish  hell  below  !" 

Thoughts  of  a  Recluse. 

Threading  the  streets  until  we  reached  their  extremity, 
we  found  ourselves  at  the  foot  of  a  little  hill,  sprinkled  with 
trees,  upon  whose  top  is  a  noble  column,  raised  to  Wash- 
ington, of  similar  form  but  of  larger  dimensions,  than  that 
mentioned  above.  Ascending  to  it,  we  saw  this  beauti- 
ful little  city  spread  at  our  feet ;  its  roofs  and  intermin- 
gling trees  shining  in  the  morning  sun,  the  shipping  riding 
in  the  basin,  and  crowded  round  the  point ;  while,  in  the 
distance,  the  vast  waters  of  the  Chesapeake,  and  more 
near  those  of  its  tributary  rivers,  gleamed  in  broad  lines 
of  silver  through  the  dark  extent  of  forested  plains,  that 
stretched  beyond  the  more  cultivated  precincts  of  the 
young  city.  We  made  our  return  by  a  church  that  has 
been  recently  built  by  an  extensive  Unitarian  congrega- 
tion ;  and,  being  now  fairly  spent  with  fatigue,  we  rested 
on  its  steps,  while  one  of  our  party  ran  to  obtain  the  key 
of  the  clergyman,  who  was  of  his  acquaintance.  I  do 
assure  you,  at  that  moment  I  marvelled  at  his  activity ; 
what  with  a  long  walk,  superadded  to  a  long  journey, 
and  two  sleepless  nights,  I  felt  amazingly  disposed  to 
make  a  pillow  of  the  marble.  And  here  I  recall  an  anec- 
dote, told  by  himself  of  our  friend  *******.  At 


366  UMITARIAN  CHURCH. 

the  close  of  a  tour  through  Europe,  he  asked  of  his  host 
in  some  German  town,  what  was  to  be  seen  ?  Nothing, 
replied  the  host.  Thank  God  I  exclaimed  the  traveller. 
I  was  probably  too  dull  to  have  this  or  any  thing  else  in 
ray  head  at  the  moment ;  but  I  doubt  not,  that  would  any 
one  have  obligingly  told  me,  that  there  was  nothing  to  be 
seen  in  that  chapel,  I  should  in  like  manner  have  returned 
thanks.  I  did,  however,  open  my  eyes  upon  entering  it, 
and  have  seldom  seen  any  thing  more  simply  elegant  than 
the  style  of  its  interior.  This  beautiful  church  is  close 
adjoining  to  that  of  a  congregation  of  Roman  Catholics,  a 
circumstance  that  well  exemplifies  the  liberality  and 
Christian  charity  which  is  diffused  among  Christians  of 
all  persuasions  throughout  these  democracies,  and  which 
has  been  bred  and  fostered  by  that  perfect  liberty  of  ac- 
tion and  opinion,  and  those  just  laws,  which,  imparting 
equal  rights  and  protection  to  the  members  of  every  church, 
teach  the  citizens  that  as  they  are  all  equal  in  the  sight  of 
earthly  justice,  so  are  they  also  in  that  of  heaven. 

It  is  not  without  a  feeling  of  respect  that  the  eye  turns 
upon  the  Roman  Catholic  church  of  Maryland  ;  which 
may  be  truly  regarded  as  the  most  venerable  in  the  world. 
Those  who  denounce  Christians  of  the  Romish  persua- 
sion as  bigotted  persecutors,  surely  forget,  that  they  gave 
the  first  example  to  the  world  of  religious  liberty.  So 
true  it  is,  that  illiberality  or  its  opposite  must  be  ascribed 
rather  to  the  character  of  the  age  or  of  the  individual,  than 
to  the  tenets  of  any  particular  church. 

I  regret  that  we  have  not  more  time  to  bestow  on  this 
city,  which  is  interesting  not  only  from  the  amazing  ra- 
pidity of  its  growth,  its  neatness  and  beauty,  but  from  the 
character  of  its  citizens  —  peculiarly  marked  for  courtesy, 
as  well  as  for  high  spirit  and  daring  enterprise.  To  these 
last  qualities,  indeed,  must  be  attributed  all  the  wonderful 
creations  of  the  place.  It  is  thought,  however,  that  Bal- 
timore, like  a  promising  child,  has  somewhat  outgrown 


WEALTH  OF  AMERICA.  367 

her  strength.  The  ratio  of  her  increase  diminishes  great- 
ly, and  it  may  perhaps  be  doubted,  whether,  in  the  fallen 
state  of  commerce,  she  will  extend  her  present  limits  for 
many  years.  By-the-bye,  I  see  it  is  common  on  your  side 
of  the  Atlantic  to  confound  the  wealth  of  America  with 
that  of  her  merchants ;  perhaps  the  depressed  state  of  com- 
merce should  rather  be  considered  as  an  evidence  of  the 
growing  prosperity  of  this  people  ;  the  fact  being  that  they 
now  make  at  home  what  they  before  received  from 
abroad.*  As  the  revenue  is  here  drawn  from  the  cus- 
toms, the  treasury  affords  no  standard  by  which  to  judge 
of  the  internal  resources  of  the  country.  The  wealth  of 
this  young  republic  is  not  locked  up  in  her  seaports,  but  is 
spread  through  a  community  to  whom  want  and  oppres- 
sion are  unknown.  The  broken  fortunes  of  her  merchants 
may  dim  the  splendour  of  her  cities,  but  can  subtract 
little  from  the  aggregate  of  her  strength,  while  the  check 
that  is  thus  given  to  luxury  and  extravagance  can  only 

*  I  believe,  it  is  not  generally  known  in  this  country,  how  completely  some 
of  the  home  fabrics  have  superseded  the  foreign  in  the  American  market.  It 
is  here  supposed  by  many,  that  the  higher  price  of  labour  must  prevent  com- 
petition with  the  manufactures  of  Europe  ;  but  this  drawback  is  balanced  by 
other  advantages  ;  provisions  are  cheap,  the  raw  material  of  first  rate  quality 
is  found  in  the  country ;  and  there  are  no  taxes.  The  blankets  and  broad- 
cloths, woven  of  the  Merino  wool,  are  not  only  in  the  average  of  superior  qua- 
lity, but  can  often  undersell  in  the  market  those  of  Europe.  The  same  is  the 
case  with  coarse  cotton  goods.  I  have  seen  cotton  cloth,  woven  in  New-York,  at 
a  cent  per  yaid  ;  and  in  strength  of  fabric,  that  of  Europe  will  bear  no  com- 
parison with  it.  The  object  here  is  to  put  as  little  of  the  raw  material  into  the 
yard  as  possible  :  there  is  not  the  same  temptation  to  this  in  America.  It 
may  be  observed  also,  that  the  employment  of  machinery  now  enabling  wo- 
men to  perform  the  work  which  formerly  demanded  the  agency  of  men,  there 
is  much  less  difference  in  the  price  of  labour,  employed  in  some  of  the  manu- 
factories, in  Britain  and  America,  than  is  here  supposed.  ^American  women 
universally  prefer  employment  in  a  cotton  mill  to  domestic  service,  which  they 
always  feel  to  be  a  degradation.  In  accounting  for  any  fact  which,  in  Ame- 
rica, strikes  the  foreigner  as  singular,  he  must  always  seek  part  of  its  expla- 
nation in  the  national  character,  which,  influenced  by  the  political  institutions, 
is  there  probably  more  peculiarly  marked,  than  in  any  other  country. 


'368  KRVl.NLK. TAXATION. 

produce  beneficial  effects  on  the  national  character.  It  is 
thought  that  a  new  mode  of  taxation  must  shortly  be 
adopted ;  perhaps  a  well  regulated  tax  upon  property  may 
supersede  the  present  system.  A  very  slight  one  would 
suffice  to  defray  the  expenses  of  this  economical  govern- 
ment, and  have  the  advantage  of  yielding  a  certain  re- 
turn ;  whereas,  at  present,  the  revenue  is  continually  fluc- 
tuating, and  always  threatens  to  leave  the  government 
aground  in  the  very  moment  of  extreme  exigency.  The 
danger  and  utter  insufficiency  of  the  present  system  was 
fully  proved  in  the  late  war ;  as  it  was  not  destroyed  then, 
it  will  now  in  all  probability  find  its  own  euthanasia ;  un- 
less indeed  Europe  should  correct  her  policy,  of  which  I 
suppose  there  is  little  likelihood.  It  seems,  however,  that 
this  sovereign  people  are  determined  to  see  their  present 
system  of  finance  die  a  natural  death  before  they  will  have 
recourse  to  another.  The  Americans,  it  must  be  confessed, 
have  some  whims  which  seem  peculiar  to  themselves ;  of 
these,  not  the  least  singular  is  an  inherent  innate  antipathy 
to  tax-gatherers.  Our  good  natured  islanders  will  support 
legions  of  these  itinerant  gentlemen,  and  consent  to  sur- 
render at  their  request  the  very  coat  off  their  backs,  and 
the  bread  out  of  their  mouths ;  but  our  transatlantic  bre- 
thren will  not  so  much  as  part  with  a  shred  of  the  one  or 
a  crumb  of  the  other.  —  They  will  pay  no  taxes  at  all. 
What  would  the  chancellor  of  the  British  Exchequer  say 
to  such  obstinacy  ?  How  would  his  collectors  of  the  re- 
venue look  around  them  in  a  country  where  their  talents 
were  in  no  request,  and  where  even  their  right  to  existence 
was  called  in  question ! 


369 


LETTER  XXVIII. 

WASHINGTON. THE     CAPITOL. HALL     OF     THE     REPRE- 
SENTATIVES.  SENATE  CHAMBER. THE  PRESIDENT. 

VIRGINIA  SLAVERY. CONCLUSION. 

Washington,  April,  1820. 
MY  DEAR  FRIEND, 

I  AM  this  evening  fairly  exhausted  with  heat  and  fatigue, 
and  in  consequence  have  been  forced  to  decline  an  invi- 
tation to  a  party  which  promised  us  much  pleasure,  from 
the  individuals  whom  I  understand  to  have  been  assem- 
bled. I  could  not  take  the  liberty  with  them  that  I  shall 
with  you,  of  being  as  dull  as  inclination  or  infirmity  may 
dispose  me  ;  and  here  I  only  assume  the  privilege  which 
others  have  assumed  before  me,  namely,  of  showing  to 
a  familiar  friend  a  face  that  I  might  be  ashamed  to  show 
to  an  indifferent  world. 

The  road  from  Baltimore  hither,  about  forty  miles, 
leads  through  an  uninteresting  and,  for  the  most  part,  bar- 
ren district.  On  losing  sight  of  the  city,  the  traveller 
might  think  that  he  had  lost  sight  of  all  the  beauty  and 
all  the  wealth  of  the  state ;  there  are,  however,  in  Mary- 
land, districts  of  great  fertility,  especially  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  the  eastern  waters.  We  observed  some 
farms  in  good  order  and  good  cultivation ;  and  here,  on 
the  19th  of  April,  we  saw  rye  full  in  the  ear  :  we  noticed 
also  some  hedge  rows,  which  make  a  far  more  comfort- 
able appearance  than  wooden  fences ;  but  these  more  in- 
teresting objects  were  unfrequent,  and,  tired  of  considering 
stunted  trees,  or  wastes  of  exhausted  land,  (exhausted  by 
the  noxious  weed  tobacco,  and  left  to  be  reclaimed  by  a 

49 


370  JOURNEY  TO    WASHINGTON. 

more  needy  generation,)  we  began  to  contemplate  our  fel- 
low travellers.  Added  to  our  party  was  an  old  veteran, 
who  seemed  to  have  passed  the  written  age  of  man,  and  a 
younger  native,  who  appeared  to  be  cheerfully  entering 
upon  the  world  which  the  other  was  about  to  quit.  We 
had  proceeded  some  miles  before  either  of  our  new  com- 
panions addressed  himself  to  any  of  our  party  ;  from  our 
conversation,  they  perceived  us  to  be  foreigners,  and  wait- 
ed to  judge  from  the  same  to  what  class  we  belonged.  I 
have  observed  that  when  the  American  stumbles  upon  a 
foreigner,  he  is  wont,  during  a  few  moments,  to  take  a 
quiet  perusal  of  his  physiognomy,  and  if  opportunity  per- 
mits, to  remain  the  silent  auditor  of  his  remarks  and  com- 
ments, and  thus  to  satisfy  himself  of  the  temper  of  the  man, 
before  he  evinces  any  disposition  to  mak«  him  his  compa- 
nion. If  he  likes  his  temper,  he  will  then  enter  at  once 
into  the  most  easy  and  friendly  intercourse,  readily  impart- 
ing his  own  information,  and  gratefully  receiving  that  of 
the  stranger  in  return  ;  and  then  I  have  frequently  admired 
the  deference  with  which  he  listens  to  his  opinions,  however 
they  may  differ  from  his  own,  or  militate  against  the  in- 
stitutions of  his  country  ;  the  good  temper  with  which  he 
receives  his  strictures  upon  the  national  character,  and 
the  candour  with  which  he  points  out  errors  and  flaws 
which  may  have  escaped  the  observation  of  the  foreigner. 
If  he  like  not  his  temper,  he  will  entrench  himself  in  the 
most  careless  and  quiet  indifference,  apparently  regard- 
less of  all  that  passes  around  him.  It  is  only  for  an  ob- 
serving eye  to  detect,  in  the  unruffled  countenance  of  the 
mute  republican,  the  suppressed  smile  which  forms  his 
humorous,  though  unsuspected  commentary,  upon  the 
conversation  of  his  uncourteous  companions.  An  anec- 
dote here  recurs  to  me,  as  illustrative  of  this  trait  in  the 
American  character. 

In  a  public  conveyance  in  this  country,  an  English 
traveller  was  drawing  comparisons  between  America  and 


JOURNEY  TO  WASHINGTON^  371 

his  native  island.  The  houses  were  barns,  compared  to 
what  they  were  in  England;  the  public  conveyances 
were  wagons,  compared  to  an  English  coach ;  and  so  on, 
with  all  the  conveniences  and  necessaries  of  life,  the  beef 
and  the  mutton,  fish,  flesh,  and  fowl.  While  he  was 
speaking,  a  sudden  storm  gathered,  and  a  loud  peal  of 
the  awful  thunder,  which,  in  this  fervid  clime,  so  nobly 
shakes  the  concave,  cracked  over  the  zenith,  and  split  the 
thread  of  the  traveller's  harangue.  An  American,  who 
had  hitherto  sat  silent  and  unnoticed  in  a  corner  of  the 
vehicle,  then  leaned  forwards,  and  gravely  addressing  the 
foreigner,  "  Sir,  have  you  any  better  thunder  than  that  in 
England^"  I  do  not  say  that  all  the  citizens  can  turn 
aside  the  wrath  of  man  by  such  a  reply  as  our  venerable 
friend  *  *  *  *  *  *,  who  once,  in  travelling,  finding  it 
necessary  to  expostulate  with  the  keeper  of  a  turnpike, 
and  being  in  consequence  greeted  by  the  appellation  of 
rascal,  pleasantly  retorted,  "  Your  hand,  friend !  there  are 
a  pair  of:us."  But  the  species  of  humour  which  framed 
this  reply,  is  here  certainly  a  national  characteristic  ;  and 
I  doubt  not,  is  of  considerable  service  in  keeping  the 
peace  among  this  proud  community. 

We  did  not  care  to  put.  to  the  test  the  philosophy  of  our 
fellow  travellers,  who  soon  joined  in  our  conversation. 
The  old  veteran  fought  over  again  the  battles  of  the  revo- 
lution, and  gave  us  many  interesting  anecdotes  of  that 
period.  We  learned  that  he  was  bound,  for  the  first  and 
last  time,  on  a  pilgrimage  to  the  infant  capital ;  being  de- 
sirous, he  said,  to  see  the  city  that  bore  the  name  of  his 
old  general,  and  to  look  upon  the  seat  of  government 
once  before  he  died.  The  morning  after  our  arrival, 
while  ascending  the  steps  of  the  capitol  with  several 
members  of  congress,  we  perceived  the  old  soldier  at  an 
angle  of  this  fine  building,  leaning  on  his  staff,  and  look- 
ing down  upon  the  young  Rome,  for  whose  liberties  he 
had  bled. 


372  WASHINGTON. 

Those  who,  in  visiting;  Washington,  expect  to  find  a 
City,  will  ta  somewhat  surprised  when  they  enter  its  pre- 
cincts, and  look  around  in  vain  for  the  appearance  of  a 
house. 

The  plan  marked  out  for  this  metropolis  the  of  empire, 
is  gigantic,  and  the  public  buildings,  whether  in  progress 
or  design,  bear  all  the  stamp  of  grandeur.  How  many 
centuries  shall  pass  away  ere  the  clusters  of  little  villages, 
now  scattered  over  this  plain,  shall  assume  the  form  and 
magnificence  of  an  imperial  city  ?  Were  the  heart  to  form 
a  prayer  for  this  republic,  would  it  not  be  that  the  term  of 
her  youth  might  be  long  protracted  .?  Which  of  her  pa- 
triots can  anticipate,  without  anxiety,  the  period  when  the 
road  to  the  senate-house  shall  lead  through  streets  adorn- 
ed with  temples  and  palaces?  and  when  the  rulers  of  the 
republic,  who  now  take  their  way  on  foot  to  the  council 
chamber,  in  the  fresh  hour  of  morning,  shall  roll  in  cha- 
riots at  midnoon,  or  perhaps  midnight,  through  a  sump- 
tuous metropolis,  rich  in  arts  and  bankrupt  in  virtue  ?  Is 
such  to  be  the  destiny  of  this  new-born  empire  ?  Hea- 
ven avert  it!  and  I  do  more  than  hope  that  it  is  to  be 
averted.  At  all  events,  you  and  I,  my  dear  friend,  shall 
long  have  been  in  our  graves,  ere  the  flush  of  youth  and 
piide  of  liberty  can  forsake  this  favoured  democracy. 

I  envy  not  the  man  who  can  enter  without  emotion  the 
noble,  though  still  unfinished  structure  of  the  American 
capitol.  Never  shall  I  forget  the  feelings  with  which  I 
first  looked  down  from  the  gallery  of  the  hall  upon  the  as- 
sembled representatives  of  a  free  and  sovereign  nation. 
Is  there,  in  the  whole  range  of  this  peopled  earth,  a  sight 
more  sublime  ?  When  the  English  friends  who  accompa- 
nied us  first  visited  the  congress,  some  months  since,  the 
words  that  struck  their  ear,  as  they  entered  the  gallery, 
formed  part  of  the  prayer  with  which  the  business  of  the 
day  opens :  "  May  the  rod  of  tyranny  be  broken  in  every 
nation  of  the  earth  /"  Mrs.  ******,  her  husband 


THE  CAPITOL.  373 

told  me,  burst  into  tears.  Were  I  curious  to  try  the  soul 
of  a  European,  I  should  wish  to  see  him  enter  the  house 
of  the  American  congress.  I  defy  a  native  of  that  con- 
tinent who  has  a  soul,  not  to  find  it  at  that  moment.  Yes, 
my  dear  friend,  while  this  edifice  stands,  liberty  has  an 
anchorage  from  which  the  congress  of  European  autocrats 
cannot  unmoor  her.  Truly  I  am  grateful  to  this  nation  ; 
the  study  of  their  history  and  institutions,  and  the  consi- 
deration of  the  peace  and  happiness  which  they  enjoy, 
has  thawed  my  heart,  and  filled  it  with  hopes  which  I 
had  not  thought  it  could  know  again.  After  all,  we  are 
fortunately  constituted :  when  we  cease  to  feel  for  our- 
selves, we  can  better  feel  for  others  ;  and  the  pleasure  of 
sympathy,  if  it  be  not  as  intense,  is  perhaps  more  pure 
than  that  of  enjoyment. 

We  of  course  considered  with  much  interest  some  of 
the  more  distinguished  members,  with  whom  we  were 
previously  only  acquainted  by  report,  or  the  public  prints, 
and  waited  with  some  curiosity  until  they  should  take 
their  turn  in  the  debate.  It  happened  to  be  one  of  pecu- 
liar animation,  and  occupied  the  house  for  ten  successive 
days  :  the  subject  was  supplied  by  the  proposed  altera- 
tions in  the  tariff;  and  what  may  seem  singular,  they 
found  not  a  single  opposer  from  the  state,  or  even  the  city 
of  New- York :  the  opposition  to  the  bill  seemed  to  pro- 
ceed entirely  from  the  southern  planters,  and  some  mem- 
bers from  New-England.  The  representations  from  the 
central  and  western  states  were  united  to  a  man  in  flout- 
ing poor  fallen  commerce,  whom  they  seemed  to  consider 
as  no  better  than  a  professional  gambler,  who  had  fleeced 
the  citizens  of  their  morals  as  well  as  their  money.  In- 
deed, it  would  seem  that  men  can  seldom  lose  the  one 
without  the  other  ;  and  perhaps  it  is  little  surprising  that 
the  more  ardent  of  this  republican  race  should  rejoice  in 
(lie  fall  of  a  deity  who,  of  late  years,  has  reclined  one  arm 
on  Plutus  and  the  other  on  bankruptcy ; —  her  ruin,  how- 


374  HALL  OF  REPRESENTATIVES. 

ever,  seems  sufficiently  complete  without  any  fulminations 
from  the  capital.  It  is  possible,  however,  that  the  proposed 
duties  may  act  as  a  very  fair  lax  upon  wealth ;  for  as  the 
more  homely  and  essential  manufactures  can  now  stand 
their  ground  in  the  face  of  those  introduced  from  abroad, 
the  increase  of  the  customs  are  chiefly  calculated  to  raise 
the  price  of  luxuries.  I  must  say,  I  for  one  should  not  be 
sorry  to  see  foreign  silks  give  place  to  home-spun  cottons 
in  the  wardrobes  of  the  young  women  of  the  Atlantic 
cities;  perhaps,  when  they  are  sold  half  a  dollar  a  yard 
dearer,  this  change  in  the  fashions  may  be  effected. 

The  bill  was  introduced  by  Mr.  Baldwin,  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, a  man  of  vigorous  intellect,  with  a  rough,  but 
energetic  delivery.  The  number  of  able  speakers  ex- 
ceeded my  expectation,  though  I  had  been  prepared  to 
find  it  considerable  :  they  struck  me  as  generally  remarka- 
ble for  close,  and  lucid  reasoning,  and  a  plain,  but  gen- 
tlemanly and  impressive  diction.  When  Mr.  Clay  rose,  I 
believe  that  some  apprehension  was  mingled  with  our  cu- 
riosity; for  who  has  not  learned  from  experience,  that  when 
expectation  is  much  raised,  it  is  usually  disappointed  / 
The  first  words  uttered  by  the  Speaker  of  the  House  sa- 
tisfied us  that  no  defect  of  manner  was  to  break  the  charm 
of  his  eloquence.  This  distinguished  statesman  has,  for 
many  successive  years,  been  called  to  preside  in  the 
House  by  an  almost  unanimous  vote ;  and,  it  is  said,  that 
no  individual  ever  exercised  in  it  a  more  powerful  influ- 
ence. He  seems,  indeed,  to  unite  all  the  qualities  essen- 
tial to  an  orator ;  animation,  energy,  high  moral  feeling, 
ardent  patriotism,  a  sublime  love  of  liberty,  a  rapid  flow 
of  ideas  and  of  language,  a  happy  vein  of  irony,  an  action 
at  once  vehement  and  dignified,  and  a  voice  full,  sonorous, 
distinct,  and  flexible;  exquisitely  adapted  to  all  the  varie- 
ties of  passion  or  argument ;  —  without  exception  the  most 
masterly  voice  that  I  ever  remembered  to  have  heard.  It 
filled  the  large  and  magnificent  hall  without  any  apparent 


HALL  OF  REPRESENTATIVES.  375 

effort  on  the  part  of  the  orator.  In  conversation,  he  is  no 
less  eloquent  than  in  debate  ;  and  no  sooner  does  he  kin- 
dle with  his  subject,  than  liis  voice  and  action  betray  the 
orator  of  the  hall ;  yet  so  unpremeditated  is  his  language, 
that  even  in  a  drawing-room,  the  orator  never  appears 
misplaced.  From  the  perusal  of  his  speeches,  you  may 
have  formed  some  idea  of  the  ardour  of  feeling  and  ex- 
pression which  characterize  this  statesman  ;  but  you  must 
have  heard  one  delivered  to  understand  their  effect  in  the 
national  senate. 

The  influence  of  a  masterly  orator  in  the  American 
Congress  would  somewhat  surprise  the  invulnerable  and 
immoveable  majorities  of  the  British  House  of  Commons. 
The'  check  to  this  influence  remains  with  the  nation, 
whose  wishes,  upon  important  questions,  must,  of  course, 
more  or  less  affect  the  decision  of  their  representatives. 
But  the  voice  of  the  sovereign  people  is  not  altogether  ab- 
solute, and  by  no  means  undisputed.  If  the  people  be 
proud,  so  also  are  their  agents  in  congress ;  and  few  are 
found  who  will  passively  surrender  their  right  of  judgment 
to  their  employers.  Besides,  the  probability  is,  that  their 
employers  will  only  differ  among  themselves  5  a  circum 
stance  which  must  leave  their  agents  pretty  much  to  the 
direction  of  their  own  reason.  The  power  of  an  orator, 
therefore,  if  checked,  is  not  destroyed  by  the  responsibility 
of  the  members,  as  the  sway  exercised  by  the  great  west- 
ern statesman  appears  sufficiently  to  demonstrate. 

Mr.  Clay  has  been  understood  to  head  a  powerful  op- 
position to  some  measures  of  the  existing  executive ;  —  an 
opposition  chiefly,  if  not  exclusively,  directed  against  the 
policy  pursued  towards  the  rising  democracies  of  the 
southern  continent.  It  has  been  the  aim  of  this  ardent 
statesman  to  extort  a  public  acknowledgment  of  the  inde- 
pendence and  national  existence  of  these  infant  republics 
during  their  struggle  for  liberty.  The  thunders  of  his  elo- 
quence never  sounded  with  more  sublimity  than  on  this 


37t>  HALT,  OF   KKl'RKSK.N'TATIVES. 

occasion  ;  and  could  their  influence  have  extended  to  the 
senate,  might  have  triumphed  over  the  cold  neutrality  so 
obstinately  preserved  by  the  American-government.  Per- 
haps the  policy  pursued  by  the  government,  has  been  the 
most  wise,  certainly  the  most  prudent ;  but  it  is  difficult 
not  to  feel  with  the  orator,  who,  spurning  all  calculations 
of  interest  or  state  policy,  draws  his  arguments  from  the 
lips  of  generosity  and  liberty.  It  may  be  doubted,  whether 
the  neutrality  assumed  by  the  government  has  not  in  reality 
been  impugned,  as  well  by  the  supplies  furnished  to  the 
patriots  from  some  of  the  wealthy  sea  ports,  as  by  the 
friendly  intercourse  carried  on  privately  between  the  first 
official  characters  of  Washington  and  Angostura.  But 
the  idea  may  well  suggest  itself  to  an  x\merican,  that  the 
vigorous  navy  of  the  republic  could  never  have  been  more 
honourably  employed,  than  in  asserting  the  liberties  of  the 
southern  continent ;  and  the  unceasing  importunity  of  the 
illustrious  speaker  of  the  house  to  extort  an  open  avowal 
of  friendship  for  the  patriots  must  command  the  admira- 
tion of  every  generous  mind.* 

Leaving  the  city  to  make  a  little  excursion  in  Virginia, 
we  missed  the  speeches  of  several  distinguished  members. 
We  returned,  however,  to  attend  the  close  of  the  debate, 
which  afforded  us  the  opportunity  of  hearing  Mr.  Lowndes 
of  Carolina.  The  close  and  deductive  reasoning  of  this 
gentleman  forms  a  striking  contrast  to  the  fervid  oratory 
of  Mr.  Clay.  They  were  opposed  in  the  debate,  and  each 
possessed  a  manner  most  appropriate  to  his  argument. 
Mr.  Lowndes  is  singularly  correct  in  his  selection  of  lan- 
guage and  turn  of  the  phrase  ;  yet  the  syllables  flow  from 
his  lips  in  an  uninterrupted  stream  ;  the  best  word  al- 
ways falling  into  the  right  place,  not  merely  without  ef- 


*  At  the  close  of  the  session,  in  1820,  Mr.  Clay  had  the  satisfaction  of  sec- 
ing  his  favourite  measure  carried  through  both  houses  ;  and  accredited  mi- 
nisters appointed  to  the  republics  of  Columbia  and  Buenos  Ayres. 


HALL  OF  REPRESENTATIVES.  377 

fort,   but   seemingly   without  the   consciousness   of  the 
speaker. 

We  were  surprised  at  the  readiness  with  which  even 
the  youngest  members  took  their  share  in  the  discussion. 
The  error  of  these,  indeed,  seems  that  of  speaking  too 
much  :  to  which  may  be  added  another —  that  of  coming 
new  words  when  old  ones  do  not  occur  to  them.  The 
patience  of  the  house  with  the  more  inexperienced  or  less 
gifted  speakers  is  truly  admirable ;  and,  I  must  observe, 
that,  in  spite  of  some  inelegance  and  much  prolixity,  they 
appear  seldom  unworthy  of  attention ;  since  sound  rea- 
soning, liberal  philosophy,  and  generous  feeling,  may  ge- 
nerally be  discovered  through  the  mass  of  awkward  words 
supplied  by  their  vehemence. 

1  have  sometimes  amused  myself  in  the  hall,  by  ima- 
gining how  one  of  the  marshalled  troops  of  the  British 
minister  would  look  upon  an  assembly  whose  members, 
until  the  actual  counting  of  the  votes,  are  often  ignorant 
of  the  issue  of  the  most  important  questions.   At  one  time, 
a  member  told  me  he  expected  the  bill  to  be  thrown  out ; 
a  few  hours  afterwards,  his  hopes  were,  that  it  would  be 
carried ;  again  he  despaired,  again  he  hoped,  and  at  last 
listened  to  the  ayes  and  noes  with  as  much  incertitude  as 
myself.    During  the  division,  the  curiosity  of  the  assembly 
seemed  wrought  to  the  highest  pitch  of  impatience ;  the 
seats   were  abandoned,   and   a  humming  and  agitated 
crowd  pressed  round  the  chair,  threatening  with  suffoca- 
tion both  the  clerk  and  the  speaker.     The  sonorous  voice 
of  the  latter,  however,  quelled  the  tempest  instantaneous- 
ly, and  produced  a  silence  so  profound,  that  the  drop  of  a 
pin  might  have  been  heard  upon  the  floor.     Mr.  Clay 
afterwards  told  me,  that  since  he  had  presided  in  the 
house,  he  had  never  but  once  seen  it  equally  agitated. 

The  senate  being  occupied  in  ordinary  business,  we  had 
no  opportunity  of  judging  of  its  oratory ;  but  being  politely 
admitted  on  the  floor,  we  admired  the  elegance  of  the 

50 


378  \  SENATE  CHAMBER. 

chamber,  and  made  ourselves  acquainted  with  the  persons 
of  the  senators,  and  the  proceedings  of  the  house.  The 
debates  of  the  chamber,  as  I  am  informed  by  some  of  its 
members,  are  conducted  with  less  popular  vehemence 
than  those  of  the  hall.  I  know  not  if  it  be  the  more  ad- 
vanced age  of  the  senators,  or  the  smaller  size  of  the  as- 
sembly, which  imparts  to  the  deliberations  their  character 
of  senatorial  gravity.  The  age  fixed  by  law  for  a  member 
of  the  senate  is  thirty-five  years ;  and  though  one  or  two 
gentlemen  in  the  chamber  seem  to  have  numbered  little 
more  than  the  lustres  demanded,  the  majority  of  the  as- 
sembly have  the  air  of  veteran  statesmen,  some  of  whom 
have  occupied  a  seat  in  the  house  from  its  first  organi- 
zation.* 

The  congress  have  met  this  session  in  the  capitol  for  the 
first  time  since  the  conflagration.  The  two  \vings  of  the 
building  (the  one  occupied  by  the  hall  of  the  representa- 
tives and  the  other  by  the  senate  chamber  and  judiciary 
court)  are  restored  to  more  than  their  original  grandeur. 
The  centre  of  the  building  is  still  incomplete,  though  pro- 
ceeding rapidly.  Here  is  to  be  the  inauguration  hall, 
where  the  presidents  will  be  installed,  and  the  congress 
assemble,  whenever  circumstances  may  require  a  meeting 
of  the  two  houses ;  also  the  national  library,  which  a  na- 
tive of  England  now  feels  awkward  at  finding  bestowed 
in  a  few  small  apartments  ;  at  present  it  comprises  little 
more  than  the  collection  supplied  by  Mr.  Jefferson,  but 
a  stated  sum  being  appropriated  annually  to  its  enlarge- 
ment, the  spoliations  of  the  war  will  soon,  I  trust,  be  ef- 
faced. These  volumes,  however,  marked  with  the  name 
of  America's  president  and  philosopher,  will  always  con- 
stitute the  most  interesting  portion  of  the  national  library. 
Beneath  the  central  dome  of  the  building  are  to  be  en- 

*  The  hall  of  the  representatives  also  contains  some  grej'-haired  veterans. 
One  gentleman  was  pointed  out  to  me  who  had  sat  in  the  continental  con- 
gress, and  been  regularly  returned  by  his  fellow  citizens  until  the  present  day 


SIMPLICITY  OF  MANNERS.  379 

tombed  the  remains  of  Washington ;  the  statue  of  the  ve- 
nerable patriot  now  engages  the  chisel  of  Canova. 

This  skeleton  city  affords  few  of  the  amusements  of  a 
metropolis.  It  seems  however  to  possess  the  advantage 
of  very  choice  society  ;  the  resident  families  are  of  course 
few,  but  the  unceasing  influx  and  reflux  of  strangers  from 
all  parts  of  the  country,  affords  an  ample  supply  of  new 
faces  to  the  evening  drawing-rooms.  To  this  continual 
intermixture  with  strangers  and  foreigners,  is  perhaps  to 
be  ascribed  the  peculiar  courtesy  and  easy  politeness 
which  characterize  the  manners  of  the  city. 

Although  now  sufficiently  familiarized  with  the  simple 
habits  of  this  republican  community,  I  still  find  myself 
occasionally  wondering  at  the  world  which  here  surrounds 
us,  and  not  unfrequently  recall  the  words  of  an  English 
correspondent  addressed  to  me  from  this  city.     "  I  think 
it  was  Buonaparte  who  observed,  that  from  the  sublime  to 
the  ridiculous,  it  was  but  one  step.     I  have  fully  discovered 
the  truth  of  this  remark  in  America.     When  I  first  came 
here,  I  really  found  myself  puzzled  to  decide  as  to  many 
things,  whether  they  were  sublime  or  ridiculous.     The 
simplicity  of  manners  among  the  truly  great  people  of  this 
country  might  at  first,  by  a  casual  observer,  fresh  from  the 
glare  and  frippery  of  Europe,  be  termed  ridiculous ;  but  1 
have  now  outlived  this  feeling,  and  can  appreciate  it  as 
truly  sublime.'1'1     I  perfectly  acknowledged  the  influence 
of  that  moral  sublime,  so  candidly  admitted  by  my  friend, 
when  first  addressed  by  the  President  of  the  United  States. 
I  meant  to  rise,  or,  rather,  I  afterwards  felt  that  I  ought 
to  have  risen  ;  but  when  suddenly  introduced  to  me  by  a 
senator,  and  that  with  the  simple  air  of  a  private  gentle- 
man, and  the  calmness  of  a  sage,  he  opened  conversation, 
my  recollection  for  a  moment  left  me,  and  I  fixed  my  eyes 
upon  the  venerable  character  before  me  with  a  silent  emo- 
tion which  he,  quietly  continuing  his  discourse,  seemed 
unconscious  of  having  excited,  and  thus  relieved  me  from 
the  awkwardness  of  framing  an  apology  for  my  absence. 


380  THE   PRESIDENT. 

Colonel  Monroe  enjoys  the  felicity  of  having  witnessed 
at  his  election  the  union  of  all  parties,  and  of  conciliating, 
during  his  administration,  the  esteem  and  confidence  of 
the  whole  American  nation.  His  illustrious  predecessors 
having  been  placed  in  active  political  opposition  to  a 
strong,  and  once,  a  ruling  party,  of  which  they  effected  the 
overthrow  and  destruction,  were  exposed  throughout  their 
public  career  to  the  enmity  of  a  discomfited  minority;  an 
enmity  which,  though  their  candour  knew  how  to  forgive, 
their  virtues  and  high-minded  forbearance  were  unable 
wholly  to  appease.  The  existing  president  came  into  of- 
fice at  a  moment  of  all  others  the  most  fortunate ;  when 
the  republic  had  just  shaken  hands  with  her  foreign  and 
internal  enemies ;  and  it  had  been  difficult  to  find  a  states- 
man more  fitted,  by  the  benevolence  of  his  character  and 
mild  urbanity  of  his  manners,  to  cement  the  civil  concord, 
than  he  who  was  elected.* 

Would  it  not  mortify  some  European  diplomatists  to 
find  the  mighty  engine  of  government  exposed  to  every 
eye  as  it  is  here ;  —  to  behold  the  rulers  of  a  nation  legis- 
lating without  mystery,  and  commanding  respect  by  their 
talents  and  character,  and  the  name  of  their  office  ?  How 

*  I  feel  tempted  to  quote  a  passage  from  the  letter  of  an  American  friend  ; 
who,  after  some  observations  upon  the  happy  spirit  of  union  pervading  the 
United  States,  subjoins,  "  All  unite  in  approving  of  .Monroe's  mild  and  pru- 
dent guidance.  When  he  lately  travelled  through  our  vast  extent  of  country, 
the' marks  of  respect  which  he  received  from  all  parties  and  classes,  must 
Lave  been  grateful  to  his  heart.  When  he  passed  through  our  little  town 
(and  the  same  feeling  prevailed  every  where,)  each  person  was  anxious  to 
speak  to  the  good  president.  The  old  men,  who,  like  himself,  had  served  in 
the  revolutionary  war,  took  pains  to  make  themselves  known  to  him  as  old 
soldiers.  To  them,  he  showed  peculiar  attention,  and  sremed  to  speak  with 
pleasure,  and  even  emotion,  of  the  battles  they  had  fought,  ami  the  anxieties 
they  had  felt  in  common.  Mis  arrival  having  been  expected,  many  little  pre- 
parations had  been  made ;  those  who  had  gardens  had  carefully  preserved 
their  finest  fruit.  —  But  these  things  will  read  idly  in  Europe.  It  is,  perhaps, 
only  to  those  who  have  been  trained  up  in  a  republic,  that  such  simple  sacri- 
fices of  the  heart  speak  more  than  wealth  can  buy,  or  power  command." 


VIRGINIA  SLAVERY.  38 1 

would  the  courtiers  of  C*rlt*n  H**s*  look  upon  the  chief 
magistrate  of  a  country  who  stands  only  as  a  man  among 
men  ;  whof  walks  forth  without  attendants,  lives  without 
state,  greets  his  fellow  citizens  wjjh  open  hand  as  his  com- 
panions and  equals  ;  seeks  his-  relaxation  from  the  la- 
bours of  the  cabinet  at  the  domestic  hearth ;  snatches  a 
moment  from  the  hurry  of  public  affairs  to  superintend 
the  business  of  his  farm,  and  defrays  all  the  expenses 
of  his  high  office  with  a  stipend  of  6000/.  a  year  I  or  how 
would  they  regard  a  secretary  of  state,  who,  with  an  in- 
conle  of  little  more  than  1000/.,  toils  from  sunrise  to  sun- 
set, conspicuous  only  among  his  fellow  citizens  for  abili- 
ties and  science,  and  a  modesty  of  character  and  simpli- 
city of  manners  and  habits  which  might  lead  the  fancy  to 
recur  to  the'  early  sages  of  Sparta  or  Rome  ! 

And  now,  my  dear  friend,  I  approach  the  conclusion 
of  the  voluminous  correspondence  which  I  have  address- 
ed to  you  from  this  country.  You  contrive  to  persuade 
me  that  the  information  I  have  collected  has  often  pos- 
sessed for  you  the  merit  of  novelty.  I  have,  however,  to 
regret,  that  my  personal  observation  has  been  confined  to 
a  portion  of  this  vast  country,  the  whole  of  whose  surface 
merits  the  study  of  a  more  discerning  traveller  than  my- 
self. I  own  that,  as  regards  the  southern  states,  I  have 
ever  felt  a  secret  reluctance  to  visit  their  territory.  The 
sight  of  slavery  is  revolting  every  where,  but  to  inhale  the 
impure  breath  of  its  pestilence  in  the  free  winds  of  Ame- 
rica is  odious  beyond  all  that  the  imagination  can  con- 
ceive. I  do  not  mean  to  indulge  in  idle  declamation,  ei- 
1  her  against  the  injustice  of  the  masters,  or  upon  the  de- 
gradation of  the  slave.  This  is  a  subject  upon  which  it  is 
difficult  to  reason,  because  it  is  so  easy  to  feel.  The  dif- 
ficulties that  stand  in  the  way  of  emancipation,  I  can  per- 
ceive to  be  numerous;  but  should  the  masters  content 
themselves  with  idly  deploring  the  evil,  instead  of  "  set- 
ting their  shoulder  to  the  wheel,"  and  actively  working 


382  \IRG1MA    SLAVERY. 

out  its  remedy,  neither  their  courtesy  in  the  drawing-room, 
their  virtues  in  domestic  life,  nor  even  their  public  services 
in  the  senate  and  the  field,  will  preserve  the  southern 
planters  from  the  reprobation  of  their  northern  brethren, 
and  the  scorn  of  mankind.  The  Virginians  are  said  to 
pride  themselves  upon  the  peculiar  tenderness  with  which 
they  visit  the  sceptre  of  authority  upon  their  African  vassals. 
As  all  those  acquainted  with  the  character  of  the  Virginia 
planters,  whether  Americans  or  foreigners,  appear  to  con- 
cur in  bearing  testimony  to  their  humanity,  it  is  probable 
that  they  are  entitled  to  the  praise  which  they  claim.  But 
in  their  position,  justice  should  be  held  superior  to  huma- 
nity ;  to  break  the  chains  would  be  more  generous  than  to 
gild  them ;  and,  whether  we  consider  the  interests  of  the 
master  or  the  slave,  decidedly  more  useful.  If  is  true  that 
this  neither  can  nor  ought  to  be  done  too  hastily.  To 
give  liberty  to  a  slave  before  he  understands  its  value,  is, 
perhaps,  rather  to  impose  a  penalty  than  to  bestow  a 
blessing  ;  but  it  is  not  clear  to  me  that  the  southern  plant- 
ers are  duly  exerting  themselves  to  prepare  the  way  for 
that  change  in  the  condition  of  their  black  population 
which  they  profess  to  think  not  only  desirable  but  inevi- 
table. I  From  the  conversation  of  some  distinguished  Vir- 
ginians, I  cannot  but  apprehend  that  they  suffer  them- 
selves to  be  disheartened  by  the  slender  success  which 
has  hitherto  attended  the  exertions  of  those  philanthropists 
who  have  made  the  character  and  condition  of  the  negro 
their  study  and  care.  "  Look  into  the  cabins  of  our  free 
negroes,"  said  an  eminent  individual,  a  native  of  Virginia, 
in  conversing  with  me  lately  upon  this  subject ;  "  you  will 
find  there  little  to  encourage  the  idea,  that  to  impart  the 
rights  of  freemen  to  our  black  population  is  to  meliorate 
their  condition,  or  to  elevate  their  character."  It  is  un- 
doubtedly true,  that  the  free  negroes  of  Maryland  and 
Virginia  form  the  most  wretched,  and  consequently  the 
most  vicious  portion  of  the  black  population.  The  most 


VIRGINIA  SLAVERY.  383 

casual  observation  is  sufficient  to  satisfy  a  stranger  of  the 
truth  of  this  statement.  I  have  not  seen  a  miserable 
half-clad  negro  in  either  state  whom  I  have  not  found, 
upon  inquiry,  to  be  in  possession  of  liberty.  But  what 
argument  is  to  be  adduced  from  this  ?  That  to  emanci- 
pate the  African  race  would  be  to  smite  the  land  with  a 
worse  plague  than  that  which  defaces  it  already  ?  The 
history  of  the  negro  in  the  northern  states  will  save  us 
from  so  revolting  a  conclusion.  To  argue  that  he  con- 
stitutes, even  there,  the  least  valuable  portion  of  the 
population,  will  not  affect  the  question.  If  his  cha- 
racter be  there  improving,  a  fact  which  none  will  deny, 
we  have  sufficient  data  upon  which  to  ground  the  be- 
lief, that  he  may,  in  time,  be  rendered  a  useful  member 
of  society,  and  that  the  vice  and  wretchedness  which  here 
dwell  in  the  cabins  of  the  emancipated  negroes,  may  be 
traced,  in  part,  to  the  mixture  of  freed  men  and  slaves 
now  observed  in  the  black  population.  Were  the  whole 
race  emancipated,  their  education  would  necessarily  be- 
come a  national  object,  the  white  population  would  be 
constrained  to  hire  their  service,  and  they  themselves  be 
under  the  necessity  of  selling  it.  At  present,  when  re- 
stored, by  some  generous  planter,  to  their  birthright  of 
liberty,  the  sons  of  Africa  forfeit  the  protection  of  a  mas- 
ter without  securing  the  guardianship  of  the  law.  To 
their  untutored  minds,  the  gift  of  freedom  is  only  a  release 
from  labour.  Poor,  ignorant,  and  lazy,  it  is  impossible 
that  they  should  not  soon  be  vicious.  To  exonerate  her- 
self from  the  increasing  weight  of  black  pauperism,  Vir- 
ginia has  imposed  a  restriction  upon  the  benevolence  of  her 
citizens,  by  a  law  which  exacts  of  the  citizen  who  eman- 
cipates his  vassals,  that  he  shall  remove  them  without  the 
precincts  of  the  state  ?  In  obedience  to  this  law,  Mr. 
Coles,  a  native  of  Virginia,  and  for  some  years  secretary 
to  Mr.  Jefferson,  lately  removed  a  black  colony  into  the. 
state  of  Illinois.  On  the  death  of  his  father,  this  gentle- 


.'334  MKG1MA   SLAVERY. 

man  found  himself  in  possession  of  seventeen  slaves,  va-. 
lued  at  from  eight  to  nine  thousand  dollars.  His  proper- 
ty was  small,  but  he  hesitated  not  a  moment  to  relinquish 
his  claims  upon  his  negro  vassals.  He  purchased  a  tract 
of  land  near  the  settlement  of  Edwardsville,  in  Illinois, 
where  he  supplies  his  former  bondsmen  with  employment, 
encouraging  them  to  lay  up  their  earnings  until  they  shall 
have  realized  sufficient  to  enter  upon  their  own  farms. 
*  *  *  *  spent  some  time  at  Edwardsville  last  summer, 
and  often  visited  Mr.  Coles'  settlement.  The  liberated 
blacks  spoke  of  their  former  master  with  tears  of  gratitude 
and  affection,  and  two  of  them,  who  were  hired  as  ser- 
vants by  the  family  with  whom  *  *  *  *  resided,  never 
omitted  to  pay  a  daily  visit  to  Mr.  Coles,  anxiously  in- 
quiring, if  there  teas  nothing  they  could  do  for  him.  I  envy 
more  the  feelings  of  the  man  who  hears  that  question  than 
those  of  Caesar  in  the  capitol. 

But  why  should  this  work  of  benevolence  be  left  to  the 
philanthropy  of  individuals  /  The  virtue  of  a  Coles,  how- 
ever beautiful  in  its  nature,  and  wholesome  in  its  effects 
upon  the  little  circle  within  the  sphere  of  its  influence,  can 
do  liltle  or  nothing  for  the  community.  Why  does  not 
Virginia  recur  to  the  plan  marked  out  by  herself  in  the 
first  year  of  her  independence  ?  Has  she  not  virtue  to 
execute  what  she  had  wisdom  to  conceive  ?  She  has 
made  so  many  noble  sacrifices  to  humanity  and  patriotism, 
her  history  records  so  many  acts  of  heroism  and  disinte- 
rested generosity,  that  I  am  willing  to  persuade  myself 
she  is  equal  to  this  also.  Nor  can  she  be  so  blind  to  the 
future  as  not  to  perceive  the  consequences  with  which  she 
is  threatened,  should  she  not  take  some  active  measures 
to  eradicate  the  Egyptian  plague  which  covers  her  soil. 
A  servile  war  is  the  least  of  the  evils  which  could  befall 
her;  the  ruin  of  her  moral  character,  the  decay  of  her 
strength,  the  loss  of  her  political  importance ;  vice,  indo- 
lence, degradation  ;  these  are  the  evils  that  will  overtake 


VIRGINIA  SLAVERY.  385 

her ;  the  Helots  will  sink  into  worse  corruption,  and  the 
Spartans  become  Helots  themselves. 

But  I  shall  weary  you  with  my  commentaries  upon  an 
evil  that  is  so  far  removed  from  your  sight.  Had  you 
studied  with  me  the  history  and  character  of  the  Ameri- 
can republic  ;  —  did  you  see  in  her  so  many  seeds  of  ex- 
cellence, so  bright  a  dawning  of  national  glory,  so  fair  a 
promise  of  a  brilliant  meridian  day,  as  your  friend  ima- 
gines that  she  can  discern,  you  would  share  all  that  re- 
gret, impatience,  and  anxiety,  with  which  she  regards 
every  stain  that  rests  upon  her  morals,  every  danger  that 
threatens  her  peace.  An  awful  responsibility  has  devol- 
ved on  the  American  nation ;  the  liberties  of  mankind  are 
entrusted  to  their  guardianship ;  the  honour  of  freedom  is 
identified  with  the  honour  of  their  republic ;  the  agents  of  , 
tyranny  are  active  in  one  hemisphere ;  may  the  children 
of  liberty  be  equally  active  in  the  other!  May  they  re- 
turn with  fresh  ardour  to  the  glorious  work  which  they 
formerly  encountered  with  so  much  success;  —  in  one 
word,  may  they  realize  the  conviction  lately  expressed  to 
me  by  their  venerable  President,  that  "  The  day  is  not 

very  far    distant  when  a  slave  will  not    be  found  in 

» 

America !" 


THE  STRANGER'S  FAREWELL  TO  AMERICA. 


THE  STRANGER'S  FAREWELL  TO  AMERICA 

Yes  !  I  have  left  ye,  regions  of  the  sun  ! 
Land  of  the  free,  I've  bade  thee  my  farewell ! 
The  reckless  gale  our  proud  ship  driveth  on, 
And  thou  art  sunk  beneath  the  billows'  swell. 

Farewell  to  thee! — Heaven's  choicest  blessings  thine, 
Freedom,  and  her  twin  sister,  holy  Peace  ; 
Ever  upon  thee  may  their  influence  shine, 
Strengthen  thy  strength,  and  hallow  its  increase  ! 

Well  hast  thou  chosen,  in  the  day  of  youth, 
Spurning  the  sceptre  of  a  kingly  lord, 
And  seating  thee  beneath  the  eye  of  Truth, 
To  rule  thee  by  her  fajr  and  simple  word. 

Shame  on  the  heartless,  on  the  selfish  wight, 
Can  tread  thy  shore,  and  cast  abroad  his  eye 
On  thy  vast  regions,  blest  in  freedom's  light, 
In  active,  peaceful,  happy  industry  ; — 

Can  walk  amid  thy  race  of  free-born  men, 
Whose  fathers  broke  the  stubborn  tyrant's  rod, 
/And  taught  the  truth,  none  will  unlearn  again, 
(  That  man  hath  ho  superior  but  his  God. 

Shame  on  the  wretch  can  tread  thy  sacred  shore, 
And  feel  no  generous  thoughts  expand  his  mind  ; 
Can  speak  thy  name,  and  think  thy  story  o'er, 
JNor  bless  thee  in  the  name  of  all  mankind  ! 

Ay,  young  America !  earth  owes  to  thee, 
If  now,  through  all  her  vast  and  varied  climes, 
Aught  better,  nobler,  'mong  her  tribes  she  see, 
Than  suffering  slaves,  and  tyrants  working  crimes 

Thy  cry  of  freedom  first  poor  Gallia  heard, 

And  shook  her  chains,  and  burst  them  at  one  bound  ; 

Then  all  the  tribes  of  mighty  Andes  stirr'd, 

Till  e'en  the  slumbering  Spaniard  caught  the  sound 


THE  STRANGER'S  FAREWELL  TO  AMERICA.     387 

And  when  all  earth  shall  hear  the  stunning  call, 
And  all  her  myriads  range  'neath  freedom's  wings  ; 
When  from  her  peoples  the  last  chains  shall  fall, 
With  the  last  iron  sceptre  of  her  kings — > 

Then  shall  the  nations  turn  their  eyes  to  thee  j 
To  thee,  America !  whose  youthful  mind 
Had  strength  to  brave  the  laws  of  tyranny, 
And  point  the  way  of  truth  to  all  mankind  , 

Then  shall  they  bless  thy  Congress,  firmly  great, 
Who  made  appeal  to  men  and  heaven's  Lord, 
When  they  in  solemn  council  fearless  sat, 
Declar'd  their  nation's  rights,  and  drew  the  sword : 

Then  shall  they  write  upon  the  door  of  fame 
Thy  Franklin,  the  pure  patriot  and  the  sage, 
And  Jefferson,  and  many  a  stainless  name, 
Whose  virtues  live  within  thy  history's  page : 

Then  shall  they  read,  with  sympathizing  pride, 
How  thy  firm  Washington  the  cause  upstaid, 
With  equal  mind,  did  good  or  ill  betide, 
Unaw'd  by  danger,  or  by  faction  sway'd. 

But  hark!  what  clamour  makes  the  battling  wind! 
Ocean  and  heaven  mix  in  wild  uproar ; 
The  raving  deep  in  mountains  rolls  behind, 
And  storm  and  tempest  point  our  track  before. 

Farewell!  Farewell !  Kindly  I'll  think  on  thee, 
Land  of  the  West !  and  so  may'st  thou  retain, 
In  some  warm  hearts,  kind  memory  of  me, 
A  cheerless  pilgrim  on  life's  stormy  main. 

F.  W. 


THE   END. 


Printed  by  J.  Kingsland  &,  Co. 
64  Fine-street. 


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